The Side War
by ProfessionalMoron
Summary: The Republic continues its war against the Separatists. But to everyone's shock, an Empire from another world decided to butt in. Seeking compensation for all the chaos caused, the Republic decides to send a detachment of the Grand Army of the Republic to teach the Empire a lesson. Caution: Contains OCs.
1. The Uscru Incident

The Side War

"_I am tired and sick of war. __Its glory is all moonshine. __It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. __War is hell._" -William Tecumseh Sherman

**Disclaimer: All rights to the name "Star Wars" belongs solely to Disney and George Lucas****. Likewise, all rights to the name "Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri" belongs to Takumi Yanai. A****nything else of a copyrighted nature belongs to their respective owners. I do not profit from writing this story whatsoever.**

_**The Clone Wars continue! Republic and Separatist armies continue to clash in the Outer Rim. However, a stalemate **__**now **__**hangs over hundreds of contested worlds. Both sides hold their breath at who will make the next bold move to break the deadlock. Unbeknownst to the Republic however, an unknown Empire is about to move first...**_

On Coruscant, the Uscru district was the entertainment hub of the planet. The upper parts were home to the more classical and elegant styles of the elite and wealthy in entertainment while the lower levels has countless bars, gambling sites and sleeping accommodations for discreet encounters for others. Ultimately, it would be the wealthy and elite that would be attacked by an unknown enemy. While random citizens enjoyed the nightlife in the Uscru district, many had not noticed the translucent veil of a Gate forming on one of the major streets. Once the Gate solidified into an ornate marble structure, the civilians close by continued in their conversations believing it to either be a prop being set up by an entertainment group or someone messing with a holoprojector.

The only people to take notice were the Coruscant Guard clone shock troopers on patrol in the area. Three troopers approached the Gate.

"Uhh, inform Command that there's some strange structure in the Uscru district." The commanding clone said.

"Yes, sir. Relaying to Command, now. Could be a hologram, sir." The second clone said as he pulled out a scanner and directed it at the Gate.

"Could be..." The third clone said as he approached the Gate. The clone walked onto the marble floor at the entrance and tapped his foot on the floor. He then moved to the side of the Gate and touched the marble wall with his hand. "No way that's a hologram." He said to the others as he looked into the blackened interior of the Gate.

"Hang on; I'm detecting some noise and movement." The second clone said as the scanner began to beep continually.

"What?" The commanding clone said.

A loud boom from a horn sounded from the Gate.

"Hey, get away from there!" The second clone quickly shouted to the third.

Suddenly, a stampede of horses ran over the three clones and any nearby civilians. With the horses came dragons, trolls, and various fantasy creatures flying out the Gate. The new invaders charged at the crowds and began killing and grabbing anyone who stood in their way. One of the human commanders' on horseback then called out,

"Inhabitants of this new land! You are now the property of our great Empire! Submit or you shall be destroyed!"

* * *

Jedi Knight Eila Deova sat in a LAAT having returned from Scipio. She was relieved to be back on Coruscant after four months of watching over the Banking Clan. Talk about percentages and rates from the bankers since the beginning of the occupation on Scipio was nauseatingly dull.

_'Wherever Skywalker finishes a fight it's alway__s boring__ afterward__s__.'_ She thought. Although, she did feel some relief that because of Skywalker, Scipio was at peace in a galaxy at war.

She had asked the pilot earlier to bring her to the Uscru district since leaving the shipyards. She was one of a few Jedi, along with her friend, Vania Solon, who liked indulging in entertainment such as watching an opera at the Galaxies Opera House. Vania herself had likewise spent a few months in the Outer Rim protecting supply lines and had returned to Coruscant a few weeks before. Vania sent a message to Eila days before to meet at the Uscru district as soon as she came back from Scipio.

Although, Eila and her friend both kept their 'hobby' a secret since the Jedi Order usually saw these things as distractions from learning the broader nature of the galaxy or of the Force. Still, she and her friend didn't mind meditating in the Force or studying the galaxy, they just both felt it was necessary to break the monotony of a Jedi's life with something else. It also felt good to mingle with random people at times. The Order's insistence on detachment made it look like that the Jedi were disconnected from the tribulations of the common people so Eila usually liked surprising people when she would mention she is a Jedi enjoying her 'hobby' time.

"How much longer." She called to the clone pilot

"A few minutes more, General."

"Good." She replied. _'I wonder if Vania is already there. She mentioned she wanted to see Squid Lake.'_ She thought.

After a few moments of silence and watching the city landscape rush by, the pilot called to her, "General,"

"Yes?"

"Urgent transmission from the Jedi Temple."

"Put it through." Eila said as she pulled out a hand held holoprojector and Master Yoda appeared on the hologram.

"To any Jedi near the Uscru district. Assist the Coruscant Guard, you must. An unknown force attacking civilians. Defend the people, you must." Yoda declares before cutting the transmission.

Eila was alarmed. She immediately called back to the pilot. "What's going on at the Urscu district? What's the unknown force?"

"I'm unsure General. Some of the transmissions I just got from the Coruscant Guard say that an army came charging through a gate and are now killing anybody they see."

"An army? Is it the Separatists?"

"I don't believe so, ma'am. There are references that the attackers consist of humans and non-humans. No droids."

"Drop me off as soon as you can, then contact Commander Wrench to assist me at my position. Inform the Guard I'm coming." She ordered to the pilot as she also hoped that her friend would be okay. The LAAT's engines made a louder whine as the craft sped to the scene.

Meanwhile, Commander Fox had to deal with flying arrows and a deluge of civilians running away. His men were stretched thin trying to cover the whole district and getting it back under control.

"Please remain calm! Please exit the district in an orderly fashion!" Fox called out to passing civilians. An arrow then flew by his head. Fox aimed and fired his DC-17 hand blasters at the attacker who then fell with a bunch a blaster holes in him. "Blast! Someone take down those primitives!" He called to his men. "Where's the reinforcements we were promised?"

"Gunship headed towards us, sir. There's a Jedi on board." A clone informed Fox.

"Just a Jedi?" Fox seemed unimpressed as the gunship came behind him and hovered.

The gunship's doors opened and Eila jumped out. Once she jumped out, the gunship closed its doors and left.

"Hey, wait!" Fox called to the gunship.

"Commander, that gunship is unarmed. But I've called for reinforcements. What's the situation?"

"Some medieval army came through that Gate approximately thirty minutes ago." Fox directed her attention to the structure some distance away from them. "They broke through our sectors pretty quickly. We haven't had much time to establish a defensive line."

"Medieval? So no advanced weaponry?"

"Yes, sir. The enemy is about as primitive as they get. But an arrow or a sword can still kill if it hits the wrong place and those, big ugly whatever they are," Fox pointed out a group of large trolls lumbering around the street, "They can still hit hard with their giant clubs."

"Alright, continue to focus on the civilian evacuation. Once their clear, we can establish that defensive line and when reinforcements arrive, we'll strike back."

Fox nodded back. Suddenly, a clone shouted out 'incoming' as a volley of arrows flew at Eila and Fox. Eila reached out with her hand and stopped all the arrows with the Force. All of them come to a halt and stayed suspended in the air. She rotated her hand and pushed her palm at the direction of the enemy. At the same time, all the arrows rotated and flew back at the archers. The archers were surprised to be killed by a hail of their own arrows. While the enemy stood dumbfounded at what just happened, Eila drew and ignited her blue lightsaber.

* * *

"What an ominous place." Count Formal muttered as he trotted along on his horse observing the landscape and flanked by three nobles of the Imperial Army. He adjusted his decorated helmet to observe the height of the skyscrapers that seemed to just go on forever to him.

"What's wrong, Count? Can't you see the enemy flees in our wake?" Mudra, one of the nobles, said.

"Yes, Count! Can't you see that these are weak and fragile beings?" Kurasta, another noble, said.

"The enemies you speak of are from what I've seen are mere commoners. Some are very strange looking commoners mind you but I have yet to see the army this land bears. Are you not the slightest bit concerned about this land? Look at these towers around us or those flying machines."

"Mere sorcery, Count! Simple sorcery! We'll simply take this land's sorcerers for ourselves and learn all their secrets." Helm, the final noble of the trio, said.

Count Formal sighed at the three behind him. They were still young in Formal's opinion. They haven't had the experience of many years of warfare. Formal has always felt unnerved by sudden conquests by the Empire before. A few years ago, he also felt uncertain about the Empire wanting to conquer the warrior bunnies knowing that the warrior bunnies' culture thrived on fighting. He was right to an extent as the warrior bunnies inflicted horrific casualties on the Imperial Army but the bunnies were soon overwhelmed with sheer numbers. He also sometimes felt that the warrior bunnies taken as slaves by the Empire's elite, particularly elitists who were cruel with slaves, were likely to be assassinated while they slept. He had yet to see such an incident happen, probably as a result of how the warrior queen was 'exposed' by the Empire as a traitor to her people, but he did feel better when he took in some refugee bunnies who were desperate to find a place to belong to.

Interrupting his thoughts, a courier came running towards the Count, "Count Formal!"

"Yes. Speak."

"Count! Our forces at the front are requesting reinforcements. The enemy is advancing and they…well, they are very strange."

"Strange? How so?"

"Faceless white armored men with sticks that release blue lightning. There is also this woman with a blade of blue light who is cutting down our men with ease and is practicing some sort of devilry that allows her to move things without touching them."

The Count was alarmed by the report and wondered if magic was used more freely in this land than back home but the nobles next to him laughed it off.

"Ha! This man is hysterical, Count! Send the ogres, they'll deal with what this man fears." Helm said.

"Send in the cavalry also, Count. They'll flank and crush the opposition!" Mudra said.

The Count grimaced at the recklessness of the nobles and decided to give new orders, "No, have our heavy units cover the retreat of our forces through the Gate."

"But, Count!" Kurasta protested.

"We are leaving! We've accomplished the Emperor's objectives in this land. We have some slaves the Emperor wants. Maybe even some of those sorcerers you mentioned. We also have some extra trinkets he might enjoy as well. We've also put the fear of the Empire in these people. That is what _you_ _three_ want, is it not?" The Count turned his horse and began making his way to the Gate. The nobles scoffed at the Count's reluctance to fight but they ultimately obeyed.

"Sound the horn." Helm said, "We are leaving."

* * *

As Eila cut down another Imperial soldier, several LAATs and AT-TEs landed behind her and her own corps of clone troopers began filling the streets.

Her commander called to her, "General, here are the reinforcements you requested! What are your orders?"

"Pursue the enemy, Wrench! One of the Coruscant Guard spotted what looked like their commanders. We need to blast through their lines and capture those commanders." Eila ordered.

"Yes, ma'am. Forward!" Wrench called as he, his men, and the recently deployed AT-TEs began trundling forward and began laying heavy fire at the enemy.

The invaders began fleeing in terror, as what they thought would be an easy battle was turning into a lopsided slaughter. Blaster shots easily melted through shields and armor and even some of the larger beasts that could shrug off small arms fire, couldn't take a mass driver shot from an AT-TE or a rocket launcher and remain in one piece. In the air, the dragon riders who had accompanied the ground troops were likewise being shot down by LAATs with missiles that simply blew up the dragon and rider to bits to rain down blood and guts on the troops below or be cut in half by the composite laser turrets. Still, many of the invaders were already escaping through the Gate on the orders of their superior.

Seeing an opportunity amidst the chaos, Eila sprinted forward and jumped over the mob to try to get the commanders responsible for this mess. Any Imperial that noticed her trying to get past them and putting up a fight quickly learned that a metal sword was no good against a lightsaber. Nearing the Gate, Eila saw a small entourage of men on horseback waiting by the Gate, seemingly wanting to see their men escape first before they did. A noble gesture, but it seemed as though three of the four men looked more agitated by this choice, she thought. Their helmets and armor were fancier than the regular grunts she had been dispatching but only one had an even fancier look among them. Suspecting this was the definitive leader, Eila jumped in front of the group to stop them from escaping.

With her lightsaber drawn and pointed at the group, she called for them to surrender. The entourage at first seemed confused by her actions and her language but one man in less fancier armor eventually drew his sword and charged at Eila on horseback. The man became confused that his horse suddenly fell to the side at the same time Eila moved her hands having used the Force against him. The man picked himself up, immediately tried to have a sword fight, and quickly learned that a metal sword is _still_ useless against a lightsaber. Again, Eila makes the demand for them to surrender while holding her lightsaber close to the neck of the now disarmed noble. Having realized something, the fancier armored man dismounted from his horse, removed his helmet, and raised both his hands. The three other men seemed to object to this but the fancier man yelled at them and eventually, the three other men reluctantly raised their hands as well.

Troopers began to encircle the Gate and the little group she caught. Eila deactivated her lightsaber as her men proceeded to arrest the commanders and could only think that this battle was finally over as more reinforcements from the clone army and Jedi Order arrived. Unfortunately, in the opinion of the Republic, too many of the invaders escaped justice.

* * *

The Galactic Senate was immediately called to an emergency session mere minutes once the attack on the Uscru district ended. Numerous Senators were aghast at how Coruscant was easily attacked by an army of primitives.

"How could this have happened?" Was a common outcry from Senators that would be countered by other Senators saying, "How could we predict this would happen?"

It was true though, an attack by the Separatists could at least be predicted by Republic Intelligence but a medieval army striking at the heart of the Galactic Republic was indeed unpredictable.

Many Senators began calling on Chancellor Palpatine to take action and invade the other side of the Gate. Jedi Masters Mace Windu and Yoda who had attended the emergency session in the Galactic Senate, shifted uncomfortably as they watched more and more Senators calling for a retaliatory strike. Revenge after all, wasn't the Jedi way.

"Senators, please," Senator Padme Amidala called out, "Let us not give into hatred. We should instead negotiate the release of our captured citizens and seek monetary restitution with this Empire from the other side."

Immediate disapproval met Senator Amidala, with many calling out how could the Republic negotiate with 'primitive savages', but Senator Amidala protested, "Senators, please! We should pursue negotiations. We should not forget that the Outer Rim Sieges continue unabated and the resulting refugee crisis is reaching a breaking point. We still have a galaxy of problems to deal with ourselves!"

Senators quickly changed their tone as they began mumbling among themselves since they saw that Senator Amidala was right. The Grand Army of the Republic was spread thinly in the Outer Rim so the Grand Army couldn't cover all the Republic aligned worlds in the Core Worlds, the Colonies, the Inner Rim, the Expansion Region, and the Mid Rim if they should be attacked by the Separatists. If such invasions happened as well, it would mean forces being pulled away from the Outer Rim to retake the invaded planets, which would simply prolong the war that at this point, has already lasted three long years.

"Perhaps a compromise." Chancellor Palpatine said to maintain his visage of a caring but firm leader, "Senator Amidala, you are indeed correct that we still have a terrible war to end ourselves. But we likewise cannot let this act of terrorism go unanswered!"

Senators from the aisles called out, "What do you propose, Chancellor!"

"I suggest we send a token force through the Gate. Possibly, around 10,000 troopers, one may say and through our strength in advanced weaponry and tactics, we shall force the Empire of the other side to the negotiating table."

More mumbling came from the Senators if this was the proper decision but Palpatine answered for them,

"This is the proper path, my friends. A token force will not divert too many troopers away from our frontlines and since it seems that our enemy has not even mastered something as old as a slugthrower, our token force should easily convince the Empire on the other side to negotiate." Palpatine then looked at the direction of Windu and Yoda, "I'll even let my Jedi friends decide whom they will send to lead the token force and act as our mediator. They have as much a stake in this situation as much as us since one of theirs is among those believed to be captured."

The mumbling continued but Palpatine's Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda then declared, "Let us put it to a vote then. A 'yes' or a 'no' to sending a token force through the Gate."

Prompted the sudden need to vote, Senators began voting in favor of Palpatine's compromise having been swayed by his reasoning. Even Senator Amidala, who wasn't in favor of sending the military to force the Empire on the other side to terms, at least wanted negotiations to occur so she likewise voted in favor of Palpatine's compromise.

Amedda then declared, "The issue hereby resolved. A token force of the Grand Army of the Republic shall be sent through the Gate as soon as possible to bring the Empire of the other side to negotiations."

Many senators began cheering at the result. Windu turned to Yoda as the session ended. "It is done then," Windu began, "Who should we send through the Gate?"

* * *

It had only been a day since the Jedi Council called Eila to the Council Chamber declaring her as the General of the small taskforce being sent through the Gate. Their reasoning being that since she has already fought the enemy from the other side of the Gate, it was only appropriate that she handle the campaign. Ultimately, Eila felt that they were only sending her because the Order's more experienced Generals like Secura, Mundi, Kenobi and Skywalker were all engaged in the Outer Rim. Still, she didn't mind it; she ultimately wanted to come through the Gate anyway and find her friend, Vania who went missing after the incident. Of course, she wouldn't directly tell the Jedi Council that was a reason for accepting the command.

In a short amount of time after crossing over to the other side and getting rid of lingering enemies by the Gate, her troopers had set themselves up on a hill near the Gate in the dark night. The Council had cut up her corps to be sent elsewhere in the Grand Army and left her a single division. 10,000 clone troopers filled makeshift trenches accompanied by twelve AT-TEs and six AV-7 artillery cannons. No air support was available at the moment since the LAATs wingspan were a meter too wide for the Gate. They would have to have their wings disassembled and sent through the Gate to be reassembled after. Rocket launchers would have to act as their anti-air for now. All of them waited patiently as the Imperial Army approached in the predawn.

Eila felt confident in her strategy to consolidate their positions on the hill rather than go after the enemy in a full charge as some other Jedi General may have done. Wrench also approved of her approach as ultimately, bitter lessons regarding full frontal charges at the enemy, like Geonosis, colored both of their decisions.

Eila looked through her Jedi issue macrobinoculars at the approaching army that seemed to outnumber them by ten times her own troops until she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Commander Wrench.

"General," he began, "the enemy has ignored our warning signs. Shall we commence firing?"

"Those warning signs,"

"Yes, General?"

"They were translated properly, right?"

"As best as our linguists could get it from the prisoners, ma'am."

Eila waited for a moment, feeling some hesitation at killing living beings rather than droids. But, also feeling an obligation to follow the consensus of the Republic, she gave the order, "Alright, Wrench. Let them have it."

"Yes, General!"

* * *

"This is utterly humiliating!" A Senator called out.

"Agreed! How could our forces be swept aside so easily in only two battles?!"

"Could you even call them battles?! According to the soldiers there, they were complete slaughters!"Another called out.

Senator Casel El Tiberius took to the Imperial Senate floor and likewise questioned Emperor Molt Sol Augustus' judgment, "I agree with them, your Majesty. We have lost two-thirds of our military strength. How could you possibly justify sending the Imperial Army to Alnus when reports from the expeditionary force from the Gate should have convinced you otherwise? Who is responsible for this?"

Emperor Molt maintained his usual slouch on his throne thinking up of something clever to counter this growing defeatism in the Senate, "Senator Tiberius." He began, "I agree that our recent losses have cost us our military advantage over our rivals and even our vassal states. They might even think of attacking us in our weakened state..."

Senator Tiberius face softened at the Emperor's assumed agreement with him, only to be reduced to a frown when the Emperor continued.

"However, no war is won without loss! Thereby, no one is responsible for our recent losses! To think that there is a nation who dares challenge our great Empire, it's sickening! I trust that none of you will waste time to address this problem quickly."

Senator Tiberius scoffed, _'To simply ignore responsibility for this!?'_ He thought.

Another Senator stood up, "Your Majesty, how can we do this? After half of our expeditionary force returned, the Gate on Alnus Hill was seized by the enemy and the force we sent to attack was likewise destroyed by their magic! The enemy has now begun constructing their base on its holy foothills!"

"Then we fight!" Another Senator shouted, "We should call on our vassal states to provide troops and retake the Gate!"

The Senate then descended into a shouting match between Senators with half calling for a renewed attack on Alnus and the other half stating that the Empire should reconsider attacking the enemy at Alnus due to the 'magic' the enemy possesses.

Emperor Molt enjoyed watching the Senators bickering at each other. It kept them off balance and thereby, oblivious to any wrongdoing on his part. Still, he needed to stop them; he is an Emperor after all. He raised his hand to quiet the Senate and made his declaration,

"The Empire will not remain idle! Our only choice is to fight! Send word to our vassals to help us defend the continent from these invaders from another world! Muster the might of the Army of Unified Kingdoms and recapture Alnus Hill!"

The pro-war Senators began cheering but Senator Tiberius approached the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, do you intend to litter the ground of Alnus in corpses?"

Senator Tiberius could only look on in horror when a smile formed on the Emperor's face at his question.

* * *

Night continued on Coruscant and Chancellor Palpatine sat alone in his office with his tasks finished for the day. He felt through the Force that Count Dooku was about to contact him about the Uscru incident that had happened just a day ago. Preemptively donning his usual cloak that obscured most of his face, the holoprojector on his desk chimed that he had an incoming transmission. As he had foreseen, it was Count Dooku.

"Lord Sidious, I just received a report from the Trade Federation senator in the Republic Senate that Coruscant has been attacked by some primitives. What is to be done, my Master?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, Master?"

"This incident with some primitives is inconsequential to our plans. It is useful though that it has drawn some of the Jedi's attention away from the war. Still, contact General Grievous, my apprentice. We shall begin our final operation. Inform General Grievous to be ready for his 'special' mission."

"It will be done, my Master."

* * *

_Author__'s__ Note_: I couldn't really find an appropriate place within the story to describe the characters I've created or the clones who will be around so I'll just list their features at the end here.

Eila Deova: Human Jedi Knight around her twenties of a light complexion with light brunette hair in a bun, hazel eyes, and is around 5'5 tall. Wears the typical Jedi garments with pieces of clone trooper armor as is regularly seen with Jedi Generals in the field. Made General of her troopers after the death of her master. Basically, a rank and file Jedi that would have been a background extra in the movies or shows.

Vania Solon: Near-human with pointed ears and is still youthful looking despite being around her seventies with darker skin color to Eila. Grey eyes and taller at 5'8 with short black bob-cut hair. Similar clothing style too and wields a blue lightsaber. Has mostly spent the war being on a ship protecting supply lines into the Outer Rim or protecting medical facilities so she doesn't really have a lot of combat experience that requires a lightsaber.

Commander Wrench: Well, he's a clone so his physical appearance is the same as his brothers except for his hair. Maintains the haircut that clone troopers have when they were 'Shinies' but is an older trooper having participated in the Battle of Geonosis which has given him grey strands. Wears the typical Phase II armor worn by clones at this point in the war with an additional kama and three white dashes on his left shoulder pad that distinguishes him from other clone commanders. Earned his moniker for being handy with tools and served Eila's master until his death.


	2. Enemy At The Gate

The leaders of the Army of Unified Kingdoms sat around a circular table and listened to Lord Duran of the Elbe Kingdom as he questioned an Imperial scout, "Where is your commander? Why won't he join us at this strategy meeting?"

"I apologize, milord. The Imperial Army is currently facing the enemy at Alnus. My commander cannot leave the front."

"Strange. I had a quick look at Alnus earlier and there didn't seem to be too many enemies on the hill."

Lord Ligu of the League Principality answered Duran, "Lord Duran, the Imperial Army is obviously holding the enemy at bay at the moment."

The scout spoke up again, "We would like your armies to commence an attack on Alnus Hill at sunrise tomorrow. We await your arrival."

The leaders of the Mudwan and Alguna Kingdoms jumped at the chance of attacking the enemy with both leaders declaring that they would be the first to retake Alnus. Soon enough, the rest of the leaders except Duran, were expressing the prides of their kingdoms that they would be the ones to take all the glory for recapturing Alnus with that glory going to both the Allied Army and of the Empire as well.

The scout was pleased at the responses of the various Lords and said, "We shall wait for your armies then until tomorrow." The scout then left the tent with a slight smile on his face knowing that he had fulfilled the Emperor's order concerning the Allied Army.

The leaders of the Allied Army continued to express their pride for the coming battle tomorrow morning while Duran confided with Lord Ligu, "I have observed the hill and there seems to be around 10,000 enemies on it. Our army severely outnumbers them with 300,000 troops at our command and yet..."

"Yes, Lord Duran?"

"I have this unshakable feeling that we will be unable to claim a victory here, Lord Ligu."

"Unable?" Ligu began to laugh, "Oh, Lord Duran! I guess even you aren't immune to the passage of time!"

While Ligu continued to laugh, Duran simply pondered as to why he held such a feeling and why the Emperor had to call on the Army of Unified Kingdoms to deal with such a minuscule number of enemies.

By the time morning had come, the Army of Unified Kingdoms marched toward Alnus Hill with the armies of the Mudwan and Alguna Kingdoms taking the lead while the army of the League Principality and the other Kingdoms' armies came up from behind them. As the armies grew closer to the hill, the leaders of the Allied Army started to grow worried at the absence of the Imperial Army.

Meanwhile, Duran exited his tent and thought, _'Is it already time for battle?'_ Before he could ready his men to march with the rest of the Allied Army, one of his scouts approached him and mentioned how the Allied Army was already going into battle. Duran became alarmed however when his scout reported that the Imperial Army was not at the frontlines as he and the other Lords had been told yesterday.

"What? How could that be?" Duran spoke aloud and then began to think that there was a likely reason why such a large army was being sent to fight such a small but unknown force, _'Wait a minute! The enemy! Could this battle have been orchestrated by the Emperor!?'_

* * *

Eila looked through her macrobinoculars at another approaching army. "Wrench, do you notice anything different about these guys?"

Wrench pulled down the integrated macrobinoculars on his helmet, "These guys seem to be wearing different kinds of armor from each other. They're not the same army from the other day."

"An allied army, you think?"

"It's likely, General."

Eila bit her lip at the sight of once again another approaching army ignoring their warning signs with the larger non-human soldiers simply trampling over them.

"Obviously, these guys are in the service of the Empire here or they wouldn't keep ignoring our signs." She tried to reason to Wrench and herself.

While Wrench nodded at her reason, she sighed at the prospect of what was likely to be another massacre but she tapped the comlink on her wrist and instructed, "Artillery, this is General Deova, large enemy formations have entered our combat area. Prep HE and standby for grid reference."

* * *

In just three days of one-sided fighting, the 300,000 strong Allied Army had been reduced to 100,000. The remaining leaders of the Army of Unified Kingdoms quickly fell into despair and began to question their situation.

"How could this happen?"

"Where is the Imperial Army in all of this?"

"Do you seriously think having the Imperial Army here will make a difference?"

"Should we not retreat?"

While the other leaders began debating responsibility for the mess they were in, Duran, while realizing that the Empire had ultimately left them here to die, he still wanted to preserve some of the self-respect of the Army of Unified Kingdoms.

"We should not retreat!" He declared.

"Lord Duran! Why?"

"We should not retreat! Not until I have repaid this enemy with an arrow!"

"But we hardly have the strength to carry out another attack and survive the enemy's 'magic'!"

Duran began to think of his enemies capabilities as he stared at the melted helmet of Lord Ligu. All of the Allied Army's attacks have been full frontal assaults in the daylight in which the enemies long ranged magic that even went beyond the range of a trebuchet easily decimated the men. He needed a way to close the distance by making the enemies long ranged magic useless.

"Perhaps a night raid." He proposed to the remaining leaders. "There is no moon tonight so our men should be hidden in the dark. We can approach their left flank that has enough rocky formations created from a previous battle to hide our approach. The center and right flank are too open."

"But Lord Duran, what if they have a way to see us in the night?" One of the leaders questioned.

Duran pondered this as well. So far, the enemy has shown him abilities that go far beyond any army in Falmart. The blue lightning that he believed came from their smaller weapons melted any type of armor and left a nasty cauterized wound on exposed flesh. The lightning even had the added advantage of essentially 'cooking' a person when it went through the armor with its intense heat. Meanwhile, their larger weapons spewed powerful explosive magic that would claim the lives of more than thirty men who stood out in the open. Some flying arrow shot from a large tube would likewise obliterate their dragon riders. Anyone who did get close to the hill then had to deal with a metal thorn bush that slowed the approach, giving time for the enemy to then kill those who managed to get that far with their smaller weapons. At this point as well, it was unknown to him and his men if the enemy was even human, just terrified reports from men who managed to escape the frontlines of white armored beings occupying the hill.

"This enemy has shown us fantastic abilities. Them being able to see us in the darkness may not be outside their abilities." Duran said.

"Then what is the point of attacking them, Lord Duran!"

Duran declared to the remaining leaders, "At this point, claiming victory against this enemy is useless, but the dignity and honor of the Allied Army must be upheld! As I said, I will not retreat until I have at least sent them an arrow! I will lead the night raid myself. I lead this attack for the Army of Unified Kingdoms, not for the Empire that has abandoned us! If any of you wish to return to your homes, no one here will think less of you."

Despite his reassurance that no one would be thought of as cowardly for leaving, the remaining leaders decided to march with Duran.

* * *

In the night, three clone troopers sat in a trench on the left flank of the Gate. Two of the clones were taking the time to sleep while one remained awake. The one trooper who was awake scanned the rocky outcrops in front of him and then noticed that there seemed to be movement going on between the rocks. Not taking any chances, the trooper decided to wake his teammates.

"Guys. Guys! Ticks! Holt! Wake up! There's something out in the field."

The two clones were still dazed at waking up earlier than expected but Holt answered, "Dee? What's going on?"

"There's something out in the field!"

The two troopers immediately grabbed their DC-15A and S-variant blasters and began looking for anything suspicious in their sector.

"Movement, Dee? Could just be an animal."

"I don't think so Ticks. I thought I saw what looked like a person at our 11 o'clock position."

All three troopers squinted at the direction until Holt mentioned, "It's nighttime guys, switch to night optics."

Night optics had become a seriously modified and desired tool since the Umbara campaign as Ticks and Dee groaned at their lack of awareness on that part. Once they switched to night vision, all three noticed that there was large enemy army moving between the rocky formations in an attempt to mask their approach on the hill.

Dee immediately tapped his comlink, "General Deova! Commander Wrench! We have large number of enemy units within 300 meters of the base perimeter! It's an enemy attack!"

Eila and Wrench, who had both maintained a semi-unconscious state of sleep, jumped from their trenches in the center position. Eila ordered the artillery to fire illumination rounds; the enemy was too close for artillery to make a strike safely. At the same time, Wrench ordered the four tanks on the left flank to begin firing on the interlopers.

The night sky burst with bright lights as the entire left flank of the Gate likewise erupted with blue blaster bolts aimed at the enemy army. The tanks also began blasting away the rock formations to deny the trespassers cover. For then on, it seemed that the clones never stopped firing as once again, the intruders started to drop dead. To the amazement of some clones though, it seemed that the enemy commander ordered his men to charge, as the trespassers seemed to lose all sense of self-preservation and simply charged the defensive line without using what little cover they had left. Despite an intense barrage of blaster fire, the intruders came within meters of the trenches. Still, none of the intruders got close enough to swing a sword.

As the slaughter continued, one of the tank drivers noticed one of the intruders grab a bow and arrow and fired it at his tank. The arrow harmlessly bounced off the armor of the AT-TE but the driver took it as a great insult.

"Hey, Kess!" The driver called to the gunner of the mass driver cannon on top of the tank.

"Yes, sir!"

"See that fancy looking armored guy at 1 o'clock low?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Blast him for me, will ya!"

The gunner turned the turret to the direction the driver gave, targeted the man, and fired. The gunner witnessed the man disappear in a quick flash of an explosion and flying rocks.

"Target destroyed, sir."

"Ha ha! That'll teach'em!" The driver howled.

* * *

By morning, the results of three days of battles and the night attack was made clear to Eila and her troopers. Some of the clones bragged about the numbers as they searched the battlefield for any survivors.

"Phew! Man, three days and it looks like we wiped out what? About 200,000 of their guys?"

"Seems close to me, brother. That night attack looked like another 60,000 to me."

"Easy kill scores like this, boys? Just like the simulations!"

The trio of clones laughed in the distance while Eila and Wrench were making similar rounds on the cratered battlefield. Eila kicked an enemy helmet down a gentle slope that had become a grave for a bunch of dead soldiers. She shook her head at the sight and scanned the horizon that was littered with the dead bodies of men, non-humans, and small dragons. The black birds happily feasting on the corpses didn't improve her state of mind.

"Why didn't they just surrender or retreat sooner?" Eila soberly questioned .

Wrench answered, "From their view, were the evil invaders. They'll fight to the last man to stop us from getting any further into their land."

"But we're not evil, Wrench!" She snapped, "We're not trying to take any of their land! We're supposed to convince them to negotiate! And I'm just trying to find my…" She paused and redirected her words. "Those warning signs we posted out there pretty much said that they shouldn't approach the hill armed. If they wanted to talk, the signs had on them written that they could throw up a white flag so we'd know what their intentions were. But they did none of that and now this...it seems like a gigantic waste of life on their part. It seemed so much easier fighting droids."

Wrench noticed that his General was becoming upset over the immense loss of life. It made sense; they usually fought droids, not living people. Although in his earlier days, Wrench would have just ignored whatever his General felt. His previous Jedi General was in every sense, 'an asshole' in his opinion so Wrench hardly cared; loyalty to the Republic was all that mattered. But after so many battles, watching so many of his brothers die and having a Jedi General who actually cares about them, feeling bad about so many lives being lost wasn't something that could just be ignored. Still, having learned from past battles, they needed to move past it.

"Eila," Wrench began, "They made their choice. And while their choice might make us—make _you_; feel bad, hopefully this convinces the Empire to give it up. The sooner we finish here, the sooner we can deal with the war in our galaxy."

Eila gave a half-smile back to Wrench. She knew he only ever used her first name to try, even if it were to fall flat, to comfort her. "Thanks, Wrench. But looking at what happened here, we both know this isn't finished yet."

* * *

In the Imperial Palace, Emperor Molt's Internal Minister entered the room while Molt maintained his usual slouch on his throne and was enjoying the silence from a day of squabbling Senators earlier. The Internal Minister approached the Emperor with a bit of a nervous twitch.

"What is it, Marcus?" Molt said.

"Your Majesty, it seems what you ordered has come to pass. The Army of Unified Kingdoms has been defeated by the invaders from the Gate. The survivors are returning to their homelands without leadership. Although, there have also been some reports by our scouts that some of the survivors have begun roaming the countryside as bandits."

"That matters not. What were the Allied Army's casualties?"

"From 300,000 strong, the Allied Army has been reduced to around 40,000 survivors."

"Good. Such high losses mean that our neighbors are no longer a threat to the Empire."

"But your Majesty, the enemy at the Gate!"

"Do not worry, Marcus, I haven't forgotten them. Burn all the villages and towns between Alnus and the Imperial Capital. Poison the wells and take all the grain and livestock. That should slow down the invaders and make them vulnerable to our inevitable counterattack."

"Scorched earth tactics? But your Majesty, are you not worried about the loss in tax revenue and possibly even the loyalty of your citizens? There are rumors spreading that Senator Tiberius is trying to convince the Senate to force you to abdicate your power due to the defeat of the Army of Unified Kingdoms."

"Ha ha! And what can only one Senator do? Oh, Marcus, you worry too much. Let the Senate do as they please. They only end up bickering in the end anyway and there are still a good number of loyal Senators who are supporting my decision to continue our war against the invaders." Molt boasted but he began to think that he should be ready to liquidate the Senate if they were going to attempt to pry his powers from him.

Suddenly, Molt's daughter, Princess Pina Co Lada, interrupted his meeting with Marcus by barging into the room. "Your Majesty!"

"What is it, my daughter?"

"It's about Alnus Hill, father. I have just learned about the Allied Army's defeat. What do you plan to do now against the invaders from the Gate?!"

Marcus interjected, "We are rebuilding the military and are planning to retake..."

"That is pointless!" Pina interrupted. "Rebuilding the military will take too long! The invaders will continue to march through our lands while we trouble ourselves with recruitment and training! Have you even told father about the soldiers the invaders have in captivity on the other side of the Gate?"

"W—Well..."

Molt watched as Marcus struggled to answer her. His daughter's hotblooded attitude matched her hair. But, he needed her to disappear for the moment while he organized his plans. The last thing he wanted was another person constantly pestering him for the details of his decisions.

"Enough, my daughter. While you are correct that rebuilding the military will take time, I was the one who ordered Marcus to act in such a way. Time is what we need as we are still ignorant of who the invaders are." It was then Molt realized an idea where he could get rid of his daughter for some time at least.

"This is actually perfect, daughter. Why don't you take your Rose Order and scout the invaders from the Gate?"

"M—My Order?"

"Yes, your Order. Or is it that your Order and your childish act at playing soldier just a farce?"

Pina tightened her fist at her father's jab but proceeded to bow to him, "It will be done, your Majesty."

* * *

After sending out probe droids to observe that the enemy had indeed retreated completely and only finding four badly wounded survivors from the battle, Alnus Hill was quickly converted to a typical Republic base that could be found on any planet with turbolaser batteries covering a hexagonal perimeter. The Gate itself would be placed in a dome with large blast doors covering it. Although, the base walls were somewhat shorter and facilities somewhat smaller than with regular bases since everything had the fit through the Gate. The turbolaser batteries themselves weren't rated to destroy a capital ship, but they were just powerful enough to kill anything that could be heavily armored like an AT-TE or a Juggernaut.

Eila finally had a well-lit and furnished office rather than a muddy ditch with a flashlight but she hated being confined to it with the resulting paper work that came with the office. Standard operating procedures, rules of engagement, requisitions, and surveys were blurring together as she had to read, suggest changes, and sign off on all of them. Even the requisition for what the trooper's armor should look like out in the field had taken some time. She really just wanted the regular armor with green decals to match the mostly forested landscape. Fortunately, the armor and some of the things on her list had already been resolved by the time they completed building the base.

The astronomy survey that was completed the next night after the last battle they had, showed that the planet did not exist on any of the Republic or even Jedi star maps since none of the stars in the night sky could be identified or matched to the maps. It was assumed that the planet could be in the Unknown Regions or in Wild Space but there was nothing to confirm those assumptions either. Still, it meant that there was very little to no chance of getting help from the Republic Navy.

Next, the geographical and navigational surveys gave them an accurate map of the continent they were on in which their main target, what they believed was the Empire's capital due to its large number of sophisticated buildings, was slightly to their northeast and several hundred kilometers away. A difficult journey to make without gunships. The nearest settlements though were directly to their north. Ultimately, the standard operating procedure dictated to Eila and her troopers by the Republic and Jedi Order was to first make friends of the surrounding settlements to better understand the Empire, which would help in the eventual negotiations.

To make friends of the surrounding settlements, sending out squads of troopers to act as reconnaissance units looked to be the most efficient way. Six squads were formed consisting of nine troopers each would make use of speeders to branch out the influence of the Republic in the area. Unfortunately, the BARC speeders they were being provided with didn't have much in the way of carrying capacity. Since they didn't have gunships yet and the tanks had to stay in the base just in case the enemy decided to return, the speeders had to be able to carry a sizable amount of gear or at least be able to carry four injured troopers at once in an emergency.

Wrench, befitting his namesake, had already informed Eila that he and a group of engineers were modifying the speeders that would include an enclosure on the back of the speeder for troopers to be able to sit down in it if needed. Adding the enclosure made the speeder rear heavy so two more light blaster cannons were added to the front along with some counterweights to compensate. The additional weight limited the top speed though but there would only be three of the modified speeders to a squad while the remaining troopers ran in unmodified BARC speeders.

Personally, Eila wanted to lead one of the recon teams but the paper work grounded her to the base in which she would have to pick troopers from the division. Wrench, likewise, couldn't lead the recon teams as well since he was also being bogged down by paper work. Luckily for the two of them, a trooper who had plenty of combat experience and leadership skills had recently transferred from Coruscant. Because of the attack on Coruscant, the Coruscant Guard wanted a little bit of revenge for some of their troopers who were killed but since they still had the job of protecting Coruscant, they could only send one of their best.

As Eila and Wrench were finalizing possible destinations for the recon teams, the door chimed.

"Come in." She called and a trooper with the typical red markings of the Coruscant Guard entered.

"ARC-77, reporting for duty, General."

"Captain Fordo, please come in. We're quite happy that you'll be joining us in this campaign. Your exploits during the battles of Muunilinst and Hypori are well known among troopers and Jedi alike."

"Thank you, General. And while I am here on behalf of the Guard, your orders stand."

"That's alright, Captain. Given that you are an ARC, you are allowed some leeway to orders."

Fordo simply nodded and continued having noticed the paper work, "Do you already have a mission ready, General?"

"Actually, me and Commander Wrench were just finalizing the recon teams' destinations. We have a briefing scheduled for all recon teams in a few moments. Join us, Captain."

"Gladly, but General, what's my post here?"

"Given your skills and experience, it's only fitting that you lead one of the recon teams. We need the best out there so you'll lead Recon Team Three. The Lieutenant who's supposed to lead RT3 was injured in an accident this morning. Apparently, getting your armor on is a dangerous business."

After the morning briefing and an adjustment in armor from the red markings of the Guard to green, Fordo went to meet his team who had assembled themselves near a group of BARC speeders. Fordo recounted what the General addressed in the briefing that the teams would be alone in the wilderness since proper communications had not been set up, though she did mention that it would be a priority so they shouldn't be in the dark for long.

The regular troopers of RT3 were rather excited that an ARC in particular, a famous ARC, was leading them but one of the troopers remained professional. As Fordo approached, the professional trooper called out, "Recon Team Three, reporting in, sir!"

"At ease. Since, I'm meeting you all for the first time, why not tell me your names?"

The professional trooper started first, "My designation is CT-231977!"

"Just tell me your_ names_, alright."

The professional trooper became slightly embarrassed but continued, "Yes sir, uh, my name's Fick, sir."

The rest of the troopers then sounded off on their own names, "Noah", "Alloy", "Ray", "Hoot", "Cabby", "Ramius", and "Zipper".

"Good. Well, it's only polite that I say, I'm Captain Fordo, I'll be your commander from now on due to your previous Lieutenant's accident."

Some of the troopers gave a slight snicker at the mention of their previous leader.

Fordo ignored the snickering but before he could give an order, one of the troopers spoke up, "Sir!"

"Yes, you're Hoot, correct?"

"Yes, sir. I just wanted to ask. You've met plenty of droids, right sir?"

Fordo was getting suspicious but answered, "Met? Sure."

"Who's 'Roger'?" Hoot said with a snicker.

The other troopers groaned at Hoot's abysmal attempt at humor but Fordo simply wrote off the trooper's comment and ordered, "Mount up!"

* * *

_Author__'s Note_: I decided to add Fordo from _Star Wars: Clone Wars_ by Genndy Tartakovsky just because he's simply a badass. No further reasoning needed. Now with the clones Fordo will be with and some of the clones mentioned earlier, I just sort of plucked a bunch of random names with the exception of Fick, Ramius, and Hoot. Fick, because when I was first writing this, I was watching _Generation Kill_. Ramius, because of the Captains from both _The Hunt for Red October_ and _Gundam SEED_. And finally, Hoot, because while thinking of more names, I was reminded of Vanossgaming's mascot and I just thought there should be a somewhat "light-hearted" clone with them. Even if that clone makes jokes that won't make you laugh.


	3. RT3

The first settlement RT3 was assigned to visit first was Coda Village. At first, the people of the village ran away and shut their doors at the sight of them before Fick mentioned to Fordo that they should remove their helmets so the people know they're human. Once they did remove their helmets and shouted out a loose translation that they didn't mean the village any harm, they were approached by who they assumed to be the leader of the village. Fordo flipped through a datapad he had been given to communicate with the locals.

The old man answered first, "Welcome to our village, strangers. What do you want with us?"

Fordo continued with his rough translation, "We like know you better. What kind this place?"

"We're a simple town. We keep to ourselves. The Empire comes around a few times in the year to collect taxes."

"About Empire, they abuse you?"

"Abuse us? No, not really. Sometimes if the taxes are short they might get angry but they leave us to ourselves. Tell us though, where do you come from? What is that armor you're wearing and why do you look the same? And what is that machine you're holding?"

"We from Republic. We are clone soldiers and we fight the Empire because they attack us. And this," Fordo waved the datapad, "It like book."

"Hmm, a book you say? But you say the Empire attacked your Republic?"

Fordo would nod and the old man then muttered something about the Empire always looking for unnecessary fights.

"Clone soldiers?" The old man continued, "Do you mean that you are all identical siblings?" The old man pointed to the rest of Fordo's men. Even though some of those men had unique haircuts or a facial tattoos to distinguish themselves from each other.

"Yes. We all brothers."

* * *

The banter with the old man would continue until he directed them to the Koan Forest, which was another place RT3 had to visit, and is where the old man mentioned that there is a village of the elves in the forest. The forest itself would take hours to walk on foot but is a short ride away by speeders. On their way there, Ray and Hoot talked to each other about the elves.

"That old man mentioned these 'elves' have pointy ears and live in tree houses." Started Ray.

"They live in tree houses? Like the Wookies? But pointy ears? Hmm, I'm reminded of this one Jedi. Who was it again? Ahh! Jedi Master Fay!" Hoot said.

"Master Fay? Who's that?"

"A pointy eared Jedi! Blond hair, pale skin, and was one of the older Jedi around. It's been said though that she died at around the beginning of the war so she never got to command any clones."

"Hoot, how could possibly know about some random Jedi who wasn't even a General who led clones?"

"I heard about her from some 212th troopers. Apparently, General Kenobi blabbed about her as an example of the peace we should be fighting for."

"You do know that there's plenty of near-human and non-human Jedi with pointy ears that are easier to remember. Ever heard of General Yoda?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm just remembering Master Fay though because I did see a holoprojection of her once and she's well, kinda hot."

Before Ray could answer Hoot's baffling remark, Fordo ordered all the speeders to stop. Once all the speeders stopped, Fick questioned Fordo on what was wrong.

He answered, "The horizon's burning."

Fordo, Fick and Noah dismounted from their speeders while the others waited. Fick and Noah watched with amazement as large sections of the forest in front of them were ablaze. Fordo remained focused and ordered the two others to use their macrobinoculars to find a possible cause for the fire.

On his second scan of the burning woods, Noah called to Fordo, "Sir! There's something to our 10 o'clock." Fordo and Fick followed Noah's direction and saw something that would surprise even a seasoned ARC like Fordo.

Large red wings began to peek over the treetops as the biggest dragon any of the troopers have ever seen started to rise above the forest canopy while at the same time, spewing a torrent of fire at its supposed enemy.

"Ugh, I'm reminded of the Zillo Beast again." Noah shuddered.

"Probably has the same temperament too." Fick commented but he continued, "What should we do now, Captain?"

Fordo didn't answer and after staring at it for a few minutes, the red dragon roared and flew away from the direction of the clones. Fordo took a moment to take in what he saw but he finally made his order, "We're going into the forest."

"W—Why, sir?" Noah questioned.

"Do you think an animal like that would just burn down a large part of the forest for no reason?"

Fick and Noah then remembered that they were heading to a village that was in the forest.

Surely enough, a short ride later and some sporadic rain to put out the fires, the troopers were treated to the burnt remains of what used to be the elves' village. Fordo ordered the men to spread out and look for any survivors.

"The ground's still hot. Does the Captain think there will be any survivors from all this?" Questioned Alloy as he sifted through the burnt wreckage of a home.

"There probably won't be but we should still have a look around." Cabby said. It was then he came across a severely burnt corpse as he pushed up some debris. Cabby nearly gagged at the sight.

While his men looked around, Fordo came across the town well. He readied the flashlight on his helmet but he hesitated slightly. He was expecting a grisly sight to be at the bottom of the well. He imagined that the well was the likely place anyone on fire would have likely jumped into as a final resting place. Readying himself, Fordo shone the light to the bottom of the well. While he was glad there wasn't a horrifically burned body or bodies at the bottom, he was surprised to find a young woman floating in the water instead.

"Fick, Noah, Ramius! Get the rope! We have a survivor!" He called.

The three troopers quickly helped Fordo to rappel down the well and grab the survivor. Once he came up with the survivor, Ramius, who was the team's medic, quickly went to work.

While Ramius examined the young woman, Hoot quickly saw the similarities of his earlier conversation with Ray but Ray told him to shut up as Zipper came by and gave a report to Fordo.

"Sir, judging from the debris and distribution of bodies, there were likely 32 structures in the village. However, we only found 23 bodies, which are too few for a settlement of this size. It is likely though that many of the inhabitants were killed when the structures collapsed on top of them."

"What a disaster. Even if we were to assume three people to a structure, including the bodies you found, it still means about a hundred people have died. We should probably report to the General and nearby settlements that there's a dragon on a rampage. Cabby, do we have comms with Command?"

"It seems Command hasn't put up a communications tower yet. I'm still not getting a signal on the holoprojector."

Fordo sighed while Ramius came up to report, "How's the girl?" Fordo questioned.

"She was suffering from hypothermia but we've removed her wet clothes and bundled her up with a thermal blanket to keep her warm."

"Is she awake?"

"No. It looks like she's just unconscious and she's not in any danger of dying."

"Good. Can she be moved? We need to leave and warn Coda Village about this before we go back to base."

"Yes, she can. I'll load her into my speeder."

"Alright, let's move out!"

* * *

Another short ride back to Coda Village, the same old man was surprised by the clones' account of what happened to the elves' village in the Koan Forest.

"Wiped out by a dragon!?"

"Yes. We saw large red dragon burn settlement down. It appropriate to warn of danger." Fordo said.

"There is only one kind of dragon that does such a thing, a fire dragon!"

"Fire dragon?"

"Yes. Such beasts are an ancient menace. It is surprising that there's one awake after so many years. Many have tried to kill such creatures; so-called heroes, elves, wizards, even entire armies. But they have all perished in their attempts."

"I understand. We save one from elves' village. Young woman." Fordo proceeded to show the old man the elf survivor stashed in the enclosure of Ramius' modified speeder.

"Only one survivor? A pity."

"You take her?"

"No. Our customs are too different. She will find it difficult to integrate with us. Besides we must leave while we still can."

"You leave home?"

"Yes. Once a fire dragon has tasted flesh, it will not stop in its rampage to destroy everything around it. Everyone!" The old man began to address the whole village, "We must abandon our homes! Take only your most valuable possessions! Try not to take too much; it will only slow you down!"

A mild panic set in as all the people in the village began to scramble back to their homes and readying their things and carts to leave. At the same time, people were also spreading the old man's words to abandon the village.

The old man turned back to Fordo, "We appreciate your warning, Republic soldiers. I must ready my things as well. Farewell."

Left to his squad, Fick questioned Fordo on what was to be done next. Fordo began to think that since the people of the village couldn't take the elf survivor, she would have to be admitted as a refugee in their care. As for the village, their standing order was to make friends, so helping out the village in its evacuation will certainly help grow a friendship.

"We'll stick around and escort these people until they're safe. Spread out; help who you can."

* * *

On the outskirts of Coda Village, Lelei La Lalena and her teacher, Cato El Altestan hurried themselves to pack as much as they could into their cart. Cato proceeded to curse the dragon for his predicament as he had fallen down the stairs with his stack of books.

"Damn dragon, forcing me out of my home! I hope the gods strike that dragon down with sterility!"

Lelei informed him that the books he brought down simply couldn't fit into the cart anymore, "Master, we cannot take on anymore things. The cart is already heavy."

Cato continued on the ground like a spoiled child, "No! I must have my books with me!"

"Master, just take the books you feel hold the most value. Now get on or we will be left behind."

Cato got up and questioned his apprentice, "Get on? What do you mean by that? I have no interest in getting on little girls like you." Cato then developed a perverted face much to the displeasure of his apprentice, "I'd much rather climb on that curvy older sister of yours! Hahaha!"

Lelei remained silent and simply blasted her foolish teacher with freezing magic.

"Whoa! Calm down, Lelei! Magic is sacred and shouldn't be abused! Whoa!"

Once Cato finally gave up on his childish antics and boarded the cart, Lelei tugged the reins to move the donkey but the donkey tugged at the cart a few times and finally refused to move at all. Knowing that Cato persisted in overloading the cart despite her protests, she simply pulled out her staff and cast a levitation spell.

"Ohh, good thinking, Lelei!"

"But you said magic is sacred and should not be abused." She accused him.

"Heheh. A minor correction."

Reaching the village, the caravan had not yet moved. Lelei was relieved to have not been left behind because of her teacher's behavior. However, Cato questioned why the caravan had not left sooner. His question would be answered when one of the villagers approached him and said that one of the carts' axles had broken because of too much weight and was now blocking the way. Before they could help with some magic, they heard a strange language and a pair of white armored men with green markings running to the front of the caravan caught their eyes.

"I've never heard such a language!" Said Cato.

"I've never seen soldiers wear that kind of armor before." Said Lelei.

She dismounted to see where the white armored men were going. Upon reaching the front of the caravan, she saw a horse in pain, struggling on the ground. The broken cart was on its side and a little girl, she assumed to be a passenger of the cart, was being tended to by one of the soldiers. She was surprised to see that without their helmets, the white armored men were human. She approached the little girl and noticed that her labored breathing indicated a fairly serious injury. Another one of the soldiers came behind her and she deduced that he was trying to tell her to get back. Before she could convey her intention in wanting to help, the struggling horse got up in a panic and flailed its legs wildly at them. Before she could curl up to protect herself, she heard a series of sharp pops and saw blue bolts hit the horse that then fell over dead. Looking behind her, she saw more of the armored men, one of them with their strange and small weapon pointed at the horse. The soldier who had been tending to the girl then seemed to be asking if she was fine. Lelei gave a nod in response and thought, _'These people saved us.'_

As Fordo holstered his sidearm and Ramius went back to work to heal the injured girl, Noah questioned Fick on why the villagers weren't getting any help from the Lord or royalty of the land.

Fick answered, "It's simple, Noah. Who do you think fought us on Alnus Hill?"

* * *

By the afternoon and with the little girl fully healed, the caravan was finally on the move. There was still a sense of panic among the villagers, which led to some carts running into trouble as some tried to rush forward. For some of those carts, they run aground in the mud but Fordo and his men could simply move those forward with some pushing. Other carts though were not so fortunate with those carts ending up with broken axles or horses dying from exhaustion with no spares for backup. Despite some pleading from their occupants, Fordo decided to burn what the stragglers couldn't carry. The old man would question his choice out of concern that their actions might turn the people against them. He would tell the old man that if they couldn't let their things go, they were giving the dragon the advantage of catching up to them. In the back of Fordo's mind though, it didn't help that they still couldn't establish comms with the base at Alnus, so there would be no backup vehicles to help move the villagers around. Still, some of the young and elderly villagers were allowed onto the modified speeders as passengers.

Despite those hiccups, the caravan trundled on. Fordo kept the speeders close to the caravan with himself at the front even though the BARC speeders were having some difficulty keeping the same speed as the caravan. The unmodified speeders were simply unaccustomed to running at such a slow pace, only the modified speeders run by Cabby, Alloy, and Ramius were the ones not struggling. As they continued down the road, Fick would question what their destination would be. Since the villagers never told Fordo or his men if they had a destination in mind, Fordo understood that their lack of an answer for their destination was just them trying to get as far away from the area as they could.

Later on, Fick, who had been at the front right side of the caravan looking for any danger, spotted something on his macrobinoculars and asked for the caravan to halt. While the villagers whispered among themselves why they had stopped, Fick directed Fordo at what he was seeing.

"Sir."

"What is it, Fick?"

"There seems to be a mass of black birds up ahead."

Fordo lowered his own macrobinoculars to look up ahead and surely enough, an abnormal amount of black birds were covering the upcoming road. Fordo radioed the rest of the men on the internal comm as he flipped his macrobinoculars up.

"They're just birds. They should all fly away when we get close."

The caravan began to move again but as they got closer, it would be Fordo asking them to stop again.

"Sir?" Fick questioned but would eventually notice what Fordo was seeing.

Fordo remained silent as he saw a girl up ahead walking towards them. He took note of her black and red clothing, which almost looked like a funeral dress to him. What caught Fordo's particular attention, as well as getting him to grip his sidearm, was the large halberd the girl was casually holding. The girl also carried a smirk that made him increasingly wary of her intentions.

He radioed his men, "No sudden moves. If she looks like she wants to swing that thing around, mow her down."

His men complied as the villagers heard sharp clicks from the clones disengaging the safety from their blasters.

The girl began walking towards them and called out, "Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going?"

Fordo partially understood what the girl was saying but before he could call out and answer the girl, most of the children from the caravan came bursting out claiming that the girl was an Oracle. The children approached the girl and looked happy to answer the girl's questions.

"Ohh, children. Where are you from?" She said as the children gathered around her.

"From Coda Village!" Answered one child. By this point, even some of the adults had approached the girl.

"Ohh, why are you leaving?"

"We had to flee our village, Oracle. There is a fire dragon close by so we had to abandon our homes." An old woman answered.

From a short distance, the clones observed the villagers' behavior towards the stranger. "They seem to be praying to her." Ramius said.

"Maybe we should take it easy then if these people seem to like that girl. Right, sir?" Noah said to Fordo.

Fordo was still skeptical about the girl's intentions but he did agree with Noah. "Right, at ease. Still, keep your eyes open."

The girl was intrigued by the old woman's answer for leaving her village but the girl then directed her attention at Fordo and approached him at his speeder. "Who are these strange people, children?" She asked the question directed at the children who followed her along.

A child behind her answered, "Oh, they saved us. They're good people. They say they're from the Republic."

"Ohh, so they're not forcing you out of your village?"

"No, Oracle. They were actually the ones who warned us about the fire dragon."

The girl looked at Fordo and the speeder. "How does this thing move and float?"

"I don't know but it's a comfier ride than our carts." The same child answered.

"Comfier, you say?" The girl quickly licked her lips and sent a seductive stare at Fordo. "I'd like to see how it _feels_ to ride it, too."

Fordo ignored the intent of the girl's stare but he would feel very uncomfortable when the girl invited herself into his lap as she swung her weapon over him to climb onto his speeder. Fordo could also tell that this girl was trying to make him feel strange as she was sitting in such a way on him that was hitting all the inappropriate areas.

"Uhh, Captain?" Fick called.

Fordo answered back on the internal comms with some minor difficulty, "It's alright. A—As long as she's not threatening any of us and these people regard her with r—reverence, we shouldn't act rashly. Still, stay sharp for our guest here. Let's move on."

Once everyone returned to the caravan, they began to move again. Fordo continued to ignore the constant smile and piercing stare his passenger was giving him as he got his speeder moving again.

* * *

Five hours more into the trip, Noah voiced on the comms that they were approaching Roche Hill. Fordo noted that this landmark meant they were quite far from the village now. Still, he felt uncertain about the situation as the weather seemed to be getting warmer. Fordo would become concerned about water for the villagers. They didn't have much with them to share. Although, the rising heat didn't bother him and the other troopers much as clone armor kept the person inside well insulated and at a normal temperature while the HUD in a clone's helmet kept track of the temperature outside it. The increasing temperature would catch Fordo's attention as he had noticed that the outside temperature had been steadily rising over the last few minutes. Starting to feel apprehensive, he began looking around the sky.

"Ohh, what seems to be the problem, Republic warrior?" His passenger questioned.

Fordo didn't answer and continued to scan the sky. Once his view got closer to the sun, his helmet automatically adjusted for the brightness and he noticed a faint object moving from the direction of the sun. At first, Fordo wasn't too worried as the faint object turned out to be a small dragon flying at them. A small dragon was hardly a threat to them.

Suddenly, Fordo ordered for his men to ready for battle as the small dragon was quickly eaten midair by the large red fire dragon he saw burn the elves' village earlier that day.

The fire dragon made its presence known to the caravan by giving a loud roar and proceeding to burn the carts at the rear of the caravan. The people of the caravan quickly flew into a panic as the other carts began to scatter all over the place with some villagers simply abandoning their carts and running on foot.

The fire dragon landed on the ground and began breathing its fire at any carts and people unlucky enough to be close by.

"Sir! Our passengers! Should we disengage?" Alloy called trying to bring Fordo's attention to the people inside the modified speeders.

"No time! Tell them to hang on!" He ordered.

Fordo and his men quickly sprang into action as they got their speeders into an arrow formation and began firing on the fire dragon with the light blaster cannons the speeders were equipped with. Unfortunately, the blaster cannons were only annoying the creature and were hardly hurting it.

'_Damn! This thing's skin is like an ablative armor!'_ Fordo thought as he saw that the blaster bolts being absorbed by the skin of the beast with thin pieces of the skin flaking off. He then ordered his men to simply keep firing at the dragon so its attention was on them and not on the carts and people that were still fleeing.

Due to the sudden acceleration and wild maneuvers that the clones had to be take to avoid the fire dragon's breath, the elf in Ramius' speeder suddenly woke up as she banged her head against the enclosure. The elf shook off the hit and was bewildered by her surroundings. Catching a glimpse of the fire dragon, the elf immediately tried to catch Ramius' attention by shouting at him in her language and flailing her hands.

"Hey! When did you—" Ramius said looking back at the elf but stopped when he noticed she began gesturing to him by pointing at her eye and saying a word in her language repeatedly. Ramius then took a quick look at the fire dragon and noticed an arrow in its left eye.

"Captain!" Ramius called.

"What is it!?" Fordo answered.

"The eye, sir! Aim for the eyes!"

"Copy that! Fick, Noah, Ray, Hoot, Zipper! You're carrying S-variants! You'll have to ride with one hand but blast that dragon's eyes!" Fordo ordered as he also pulled out his DC-17 hand blaster and began taking shots at the dragon's eyes. All the speeders began circling the dragon as the clones took their shots.

The fire dragon started to flail at the concentrated fire on its undamaged eye. It then stopped moving wildly once it raised its arms to protect its head.

"It's stopped! Cabby! Alloy! You've got launchers! Any one of you, take the shot!" Fordo ordered.

Both Cabby and Alloy reached for a RPS-6 rocket launcher that was gladly handed to them by the passengers they carried with some frantic prodding on what a rocket launcher is. Both clones checked that their backs were clear for back-blast and Alloy managed to shoot a rocket off first. Unfortunately, the dragon was smart enough to realize that whatever was coming at it was dangerous and managed to dodge Alloy's shot.

Upon Cabby's turn, he also fired off his rocket but Cabby fumbled his shot as he had to readjust where his speeder was going.

"Dammit! It's another miss!" Hoot called.

Suddenly, the girl on Fordo's lap jumped off his lap and in one swift motion before she landed on the ground, threw her halberd at the dragon's feet which destabilized the ground it was standing on. Losing its footing, the dragon managed to fall right into the path of Cabby's shot.

**BOOM!**

The passengers the troopers carried jumped at the loud sound the explosion made and once the smoke cleared, Cabby's shot had severed the dragon's left arm. The dragon roared in pain and stared intently at the clones before it quickly retreated as it flew up and out into the horizon.

All the speeders stopped as the clones took in the actions they just did.

* * *

Taking the time to sort through wreckage and burying the bodies of those who perished in the fire dragon's attack, night had fallen but was illuminated by purple lights rising from the ground. They noticed that this was something that they had also seen after those battles at Alnus. The little female wizard the clones met in the village explained to them that the lights were the souls of the deceased. While fascinated by the explanation, the clones stood to the side silently as they watched the survivors of the caravan offering up their prayers. Once their little ceremony was over, the remaining villagers began packing up.

"Captain, the villagers say their heading to nearby settlements or relatives to start up their lives again." Fick reported.

"Well, tell them good luck." Fordo said.

"Unfortunately sir, there is a problem."

"Oh."

"The villagers are reluctant to take any kids or old folks who have no families and there's also the injured. Ramius thinks we shouldn't leave the injured to well..." Fick then whispered, "their medical care."

Fordo decided to talk to the old man they had become acquainted with at Coda Village if there was any way some of the villagers would reconsider not abandoning the orphaned kids or elderly.

"You must think poorly of us." The old man said.

"No, not it. We want to know if there no other way with your decision." Fordo said.

"Unfortunately, that's how it must be. We still have to take care of our own. We don't have the resources to take care of more people. Still, from the bottom of our hearts, we sincerely thank you, Republic soldiers, for saving our lives and taking in those we can't care for ourselves."

On those final words, the old man and the rest of the caravan left the clones with a good number of refugees. As the caravan slowly disappeared into the distance, Fordo began thinking of his reasoning for taking refugees when their were no explicit orders to take any. Once the caravan was out of sight and the waving of goodbyes from the leftover refugees stopped, Fordo made up his mind turned to his men and the refugees and ordered, "Alright, let's head back to base."

* * *

_Author__'s Note_: Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read this as well as to those of you who posted a review. Now to address some things.

Firstly, I haven't really thought of making this a 'clone trooper x harem' story. It might naturally gravitate towards this with Fordo being the most obvious target because he's essentially Itami here. With people like Rory, who favor the warrior type, or Lelei, who appreciates kindness, it certainly points that way for him. I'll have to think on this as I write on about how Fordo's relationship with women will be. This likewise extends to any of the other troopers who will be in the story.

Now, Rory. Will she be treated with hostility given some of her traits? I have thought on this and she will be treated with some skepticism at first but she's gonna end up as an ally at the end.

Next, is this gonna deviate from Gate canon? Right now, I'm using the Gate canon as a guide to just move the plot along although I've thought ahead and I'm planning on the biggest change coming when they leave for Coruscant for the Senate hearing. The hearing will go just as it was in canon, it's what happens after that matters. Just saying it now, no Hakone style shootout with battle droids or bounty hunters or whatever. Disappointing as that may sound, I always did hate that part in Gate anyway.

Lastly, will the Empire be fighting a two front war? If it's someone from the Special Region and the Republic squeezing at the Empire on both sides, maybe. I haven't really thought that far ahead. If it's the CIS being that someone, I'm gonna say no. Given that I've mentioned that the planet may be in Wild Space or the Unknown Regions and may not even be in the Star Wars galaxy altogether, the CIS are not gonna get involved in the Special Region.


	4. Security Threat

In the pub of an unknown town, the patrons of a table couldn't believe what they were hearing from a recently hired waitress who had been asked why she had abandoned her previous home.

"Seriously, I was there. I saw how it happened myself." The waitress said.

"Bullshit!" Shouted one patron.

"You sure you didn't dream it up?" Said another.

"Drove off a fire dragon? How ridiculous!" Another hollered.

"Fine! Don't believe me? I don't care! I know what I saw!" The waitress huffed.

At a nearby table, four knights sat quietly while one of the knights' eavesdropped on the waitress' story.

"Well, what do you think?" Questioned Hamilton to her compatriot, Norma.

"I think everything in this bar is awful. The food and the drink included." Norma then stared at the waitress who was arguing with another patron and smiled, "Well, at least not everything is awful."

"Norma, stay on topic. We're talking about the fire dragon." Said Grey.

"You're being too loud, we're trying to remain inconspicuous" said Pina, "Go on, Hamilton."

"This rumor has been spreading like wildfire. Apparently, a group of mercenaries wearing white armor with green markings helped in the evacuation of Coda Village and defended the villagers by driving off a fire dragon."

"There are all kinds of dragons in this world, you know. Ancient ones, newborn ones, winged ones, and so on. How could they be sure it was a fire dragon?" Norma said.

"Oh, it was a _real_ fire dragon, good sir." The waitress suddenly making her presence known to the group.

"Please, don't try to fool us!" Norma scoffed.

"I saw it with my own two eyes!" The waitress protested.

Hamilton jumped in before an argument could ensue between Norma and the waitress, "Actually, can you tell us about the mercenaries who drove off the fire dragon?"

"Hmm, I'm actually not sure where those men were from." The waitress feigning ignorance.

"Don't worry, I believe you." Hamilton said as she offered the waitress a tip.

The waitress gladly took the tip and continued, "Thank you, young knight! Since you're interested, the day when the fire dragon attacked, these strange men in white armor saved us. They had magical weapons with them that I can only describe as iron rods that released blue lightning and they rode on strange floating carriages without a horse!"

* * *

Finally returning to the base at Alnus Hill, Fordo was being personally debriefed by General Deova for some time already.

"So there was no other choice?" Eila questioned.

"Yes, General. The villagers simply couldn't take them since they didn't have enough to share."

Eila sighed, "Alright, we'll give them proper accommodations. Now, what about this fire dragon you encountered? You say you only injured it."

"Yes, ma'am. A rocket launcher shot managed to sever its left arm."

"Can we expect the beast to be a persistent problem to us?"

"I'm unsure, ma'am. But the villagers certainly feared it coming back after it burned down the elves' village in the Koan Forest. It was also smart enough to dodge one of our rockets. If it's truly intelligent, we should expect it to hold a grudge against us."

"What's your recommendation if we were to encounter the fire dragon again in the field?"

"Heavier firepower, ma'am. Every recon team should have multiple rocket launchers with them. Although, rocket launchers are somewhat clumsy to handle when moving on a BARC speeder. I strongly recommend that we have tanks join in on the recon."

"Hmm, I'll have to take that up with Republic Command. They'd much rather send us a little as possible right now and asking tanks to do cross country isn't exactly good for both the tanks and the few supplies that we get." Eila sighed again, "Thank you for the report, Captain. See to the needs of our refugees. It'll be explained to Command that we took them under humanitarian grounds. You're dismissed but on the way out, send in Commander Wrench."

Fordo acknowledged her order and saluted. On his way out of the office, he called Wrench in who had been standing outside. Once the office door closed, Eila spoke first,

"So what did the other recon teams learn?"

"After reviewing the other teams' reports, we're still having some trouble with the local language. Fortunately, it hasn't led to any conflicts with the locals and it seems the men are starting to realize where some mistakes with the language are occurring and are adjusting themselves accordingly."

"Good. What about the locals?"

"Most of the locals our teams have encountered are humans or near-humans. Although, the locals report there are also non-humans but the non-humans like to keep to themselves. Most of the locals we've encountered are mostly farmers, practicing agriculture or forestry. Others tend to be merchants. As for any sort of manufactured good that would come from an industrial base, the locals have pointed to the Empire, which some also call the Saderan Empire."

"Hmm, what's the status of the Empire in the region?"

"It seems that the Empire doesn't have a strong grip in this region. Most of the villages we've gone to have their own style of government, usually led by a village elder, but they acknowledge that they are subjects of the Empire and give tributes willingly whenever the Empire's soldiers come around. Although, there are also some villages that used to be run by a local Lord and are wondering why their leader hasn't returned from a war the Empire declared."

"We might have something to do with that. What did the men tell them?"

"The men say they either didn't give an answer about it or that they didn't know about a war."

"Hmm, we might have to keep an eye on those places."

"Why, General?"

"The last thing we want is for those places to descend into anarchy and have random civil wars and bandits popping up all around us."

"Actually, General, now that you mentioned bandits..."

* * *

_**Two days ago…**_

Two clones of Recon Team Two lay prone using bushes as cover while they observed a group of bandits at night.

"Look at these bastards, Truk." Said the clone as he adjusted his macrobinoculars to the group 'pleasuring' themselves with three women who the clones assumed to be hostages.

"I know, Bo."

"Why can't we just shoot these guys?"

"You know exactly why, Bo."

Bo sighed, "I know, the ROE, don't engage unless engaged by the enemy. Still, shouldn't we contact the base and tell them to _adjust_ our orders."

Truk entertained Bo's suggestion and tried his holoprojector to get new orders but the holoprojector only gave static, "Still no comms with base. Besides, Lieutenant Evo wants us to observe these guys so we can report back to the General about what's happened to the remnants of the enemies we fought at Alnus."

Bo sighed again but once he refocused his attention to the bandits, he noticed that all of them were looking off in the distance in fear of something. "Uhh, Truk..."

"One of them was just beheaded." Truk simply stated.

"Huh?"

"A girl in a red and black dress with a huge ax just beheaded that guy."

Bo moved his macrobinoculars to then see the girl Truk described. He then saw her raise her ax and cut down another bandit.

"Turn up you vocal receiver." Said Truk.

"W—What?"

"Turn it up, we need to hear what's going on over there."

Bo quickly adjusted the settings in his helmet and maximized the input to his vocal receiver. Listening carefully, he could hear the girl amid short yelps and screams from the bandits she was killing.

He heard the girl saying, "...requests your presence. I am Rory Mercury, Apostle to the Dark God, Emloy."

"Rory Mercury!?" Said one alarmed bandit.

"One of the Apostles!"

"Run!"

While Bo listened, Truk viewed the absolute annihilation of the bandits as the girl then sprinted beyond a human's ability to run and watched her carve up the bandits mercilessly, hacking off appendages or heads with little effort. The mere savagery of her attacks with her weapon was also causing small tremors that the clones felt even though they were quite a distance away. In a few short minutes, all of the bandits had been killed and the girl reveled in all the blood she had been stained with. The girl then looked over to the three women the bandits had been playing with who lay motionless. The girl moved on.

The clones would stare in awe at the battlefield long after the girl had left only to be interrupted by their Lieutenant calling to them.

"Truk, Bo, status report!"

"S—Sir."

"What is it, Bo?"

"We need to report _this_ back to base, sir."

* * *

_**Present…**_

Fordo quickly gathered the supplies needed for the refugees and began taking their names. Unfortunately, for the time being, the refugees would have to sleep in the barracks with the clones. The housing units wouldn't be ready until the next day. One by one, the refugees answered to him.

"I am the sage, Cato El Altestan and this is my student..."

"I am Lelei La Lalena."

"I'm Rory Mercury, Apostle to the Dark God, Emloy."

"I'm the daughter of Hodor Marceau, of the Koan Forest, Tuka Luna Marceau and uhh..."

Fordo noted the names and handed it off to Fick who would give the names to Eila. He then instructed the refugees of where they would be sleeping, eating, and the areas that would be off limits like the weapons locker. Once he finished, he allowed the refugees to explore the base.

Lelei would be the only one to seriously take Fordo's offer to explore the base and stare in fascination at everything brought from the other world. She would ponder on how the doors would slide open at the presence of person intending to walk through, wonder how there were lights without a fire, stare at the mechanics assembling LAATs and managing other vehicles, look at clones performing drills, and noting the language the clones were speaking. She would eventually come across Tuka, who was staring aimlessly at BARC speeders passing by heading out of the base.

"Is something wrong?" Lelei asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. It's just that my father will be disappointed that he's not seeing all of this. I'll have to tell him later."

Lelei noticed something was wrong with Tuka's tone but decided to ignore it when a clone came by and asked if they wanted to eat something. Tuka would refuse intending to eat later but Lelei went with the clone to an area designated as the 'cafeteria' by the clones. She would be presented with a meal that the clones looked indifferent to but upon her teacher eating some of it by taking a bite out of some bread, he would happily munch it down and thank whoever made something so good.

After the meal, Lelei would follow Fordo around to observe what he was doing. Fordo wouldn't care that he was being followed by a curious refugee. Following him around, she noticed that he was bargaining for supplies or asking his men to do certain tasks. After some time following him, Lelei would notice that they were being approached by a woman in earth colored robes accompanied by four clones. The woman, in Lelei's opinion, looked like a monk but she obviously held a high position as Fordo would salute the woman. From what Lelei had learned of the language, the woman seemed anxious and said there was a problem that they needed to talk about privately. Fordo would ultimately tell Lelei to stop following him as he and the woman walked off into one of the buildings considered off limits.

* * *

"What's the problem, General?" Fordo questioned once they had entered Eila's office with Wrench standing to the side.

"It seems you've unwittingly brought a significant security threat to this base." Eila began.

"Ma'am?"

"What do you know of Rory Mercury?"

"Oh, the black dressed girl? From what I could tell, she certainly makes me feel uneasy, but she hasn't done anything threatening towards us. I did report that she helped us drive off the fire dragon and that the locals here revere her like some kind of deity. She also invited herself when she joined us and so far, while she's been here, nobody has reported anything against her."

Eila evaluated Fordo's response and understood that he was correct. No one has reported Rory for any suspicious actions and she was involved in the incident with the fire dragon. Still, Eila didn't want to risk the lives of her soldiers if she just lets a superhuman threat whose allegiance was unclear casually walk around the base.

"Fordo, tell me where Rory is."

"General?"

"I just want to talk with her. I want to know what her intentions are with us. Bring that girl, Lelei too. I understand that she's catching onto Galactic Basic fairly well."

"Alright, General. I last saw her in the commissary."

Eila brought three clones with her along with Wrench while Fordo went to get Lelei. Turning to the cafeteria, Eila would see Rory chatting with some of the refugees. Eventually, Fordo came behind them with Lelei in tow. She would ask Lelei for help with translating and Lelei agreed. Approaching Rory, Eila asked her to come with them. Lelei gave the translation.

"Oh?" Rory responded with Lelei giving the translation to Eila. "Why should I go with you?"

"I'd just like to ask some questions about you."

Standing up from her seat and picking up her halberd that she had hid under the table, she developed a smile that made Eila feel even more anxious, "Oh, I see. Well, prove it then."

"Prove what?"

"Prove to me that you can take me." Rory began effortlessly twirling her halberd in a show of force. Likewise, the refugees began backing away knowing what kind of person Rory was.

The clones around Eila began gripping their blasters tighter but she ordered them not to shoot unless attacked first. She sighed. She understood what this meant. Rory wanted to see their worth in battle. A one on one duel. Taking a hold of her lightsaber, she prepared to ignite it before Wrench took a hold of her hand.

"General, you can't accept this."

"Think I'll lose." She joked.

"N—No. I don't doubt you'll win but I wouldn't be a very good Commander if I allowed my commanding officer to fight some duel without thinking about your safety. I also have to consider every possibility. It would be devastating to this campaign if you were to die."

Eila's face softened at Wrench's concern but Fordo would speak up, "I'll take her."

"Captain?" Eila questioned.

"I'll fight her." He repeated, "It would be less of a problem if I were to lose."

"Captain, losing you would be devastating too."

"Better a clone than a Jedi, General."

Eila shook her head at his response but Fordo would turn to Rory and ask, "What's the condition for you to comply with General Deova?"

Rory smiled as she would say, "Well, I would have preferred your General, but you'll do, Republic warrior. You only have to subdue me otherwise, I'll kill you."

Eila sensed no deception in her statement but remained wary. So far, anytime Eila had tried to gauge Rory through the Force, the Force didn't give her a solid answer.

Accepting the condition, Fordo stepped forward and readied himself as he drew his dual DC-17 blasters and set them to stun. Even though Rory intended to kill, he didn't want to kill a guest who could prove valuable to the overall mission. Seeing that he was ready with his weapons, Rory sprinted at him. Fordo realized that she moved like a Jedi and reacted accordingly by dodging her first strike. Her first strike dug her halberd into the ground and was impressed that he had dodged it. The spectating crowd would jump in fright as her strike caused a localized earthquake. Fordo began firing stun shots at Rory who also began dodging them. Getting a little excited, Rory also began using her halberd to block the shots and trying to take swipes at him when she got close. Fordo would be surprised that the stun shots didn't seem to travel along her metal halberd but continued to fight. As the fight progressed, some of the clones were cheering Fordo on. At this point, RT3 had also gone to the commissary to see what the racket was about and Hoot took the initiative to start taking bets.

"Taking all bets! 250 for the Captain! 150 for the newcomer!" He called as some clones began pulling out their credits.

Pressing on and licking her lips, Rory swung her halberd in which Fordo ducked to avoid the strike. But it was a feint as Rory immediately kicked him in the head. Fordo went flying along with losing one of his blasters and landed on his back near Eila. Rory quickly approached, prepared to deliver the final strike on the dazed clone but Eila sensing that Fordo will need it, threw her lightsaber into his hand. Fordo quickly regained his senses and ignited the lightsaber which blocked Rory's halberd.

Everyone was astonished at what just happened as Rory and the refugees still in the room were surprised at the sight of a lightsaber. Eila was likewise surprised that her lightsaber didn't melt through Rory's halberd as it has done with other weapons in this world. Backing off, Fordo got up and began to parry strikes from Rory's halberd. He wasn't a Jedi but Fordo at least understood some basics of sword fighting. Feeling her blood boil in excitement, Rory's moves began to become wilder. Seeing that he needed to end this fight quickly as Rory's strikes were starting to get a little too close to their spectators, Fordo readied his remaining blaster. Soon enough, Rory lunged at him and again embedded her halberd into the floor. Seeing this as his opportunity, he used the lightsaber to lock the weapon on the ground as Rory began to lift it. Having been jolted by her weapon getting locked down, Rory looked at Fordo and only saw the end of his blaster. Fordo fired and Rory was hit with the stun.

Falling to the ground unconscious, the clones burst into cheers at Fordo's victory while the refugees were shocked that an Apostle was just taken down.

"Oh, yeah!" Hoot called, "We have a winner!"

* * *

Bringing Rory to the brig in case there were going to be any bitter feelings on losing, Eila waited for the stun to wear off while Ramius examined Fordo for any lasting injuries.

"Ramius, I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that, sir. You took a good blow to the head."

"There's a reason why our helmets are tough."

While Ramius continued to pester Fordo if he was really okay, Rory began to stir. Waking up, she saw Fordo, Eila, Lelei, Wrench, and Ramius in the room as well as a strange translucent wall separating her from them.

"What is this place?" Rory asked.

"It's our brig. Our prison." Eila responded.

Rory's face developed a frown as she approached them from her cell. "I'm a prisoner now. I thought I said that I would comply with you if you win. _You're_ not being very honorable." She directed her last comment directly at Eila

"I'm sorry. I just wasn't sure if you'll feel bitter about losing."

"Oh, I don't mind losing, General. It serves as a lesson for improvement. Now let me out."

Sensing no ill will against them, Eila lowered the ray shield confining Rory. Rory walked out calmly while wondering aloud at where the mysterious wall went.

"It's an energy field. I turned it off."

"Oh my, how truly strange. Well, General. Your subordinate subdued me, what questions would you like to ask?"

Feeling no danger, Eila ordered everyone except Lelei to leave. Wrench would advise before leaving that they'll be just outside. Once the clones left, Eila began to think of where the situation might go. At best, Rory just stuck them on a personal whim, at worst, she's a spy for the Empire.

Eila started, "Ms. Mercury..."

"Ohh, just call me Rory." She said with a smile.

Eila waited for Lelei's translation and then responded, "Alright, Rory. I'm General Eila Deova of the Grand Army of the Republic."

Rory likewise waited for the translation this time and then answered, "You're the leader of these men? Oh my, well Eila, you've certainly done a wonderful job leading them. They've been nothing but helpful and are certainly courageous."

Eila thought at objecting to the use of her name but simply continued, "T—Thank you, I'm happy to hear that. But Rory, I would like to know what your intentions are with us?"

"My intentions?"

"Yes. From Captain Fordo's report, you just appeared and decided to help with the fire dragon spontaneously." Taking a breath, Eila decided to simply state her issue, "Your actions also make me curious because I have another report from another recon team that observed you the night before you met with Fordo's team."

"Spying on me? Oh my! Well, what did that other team say?"

Eila observed Rory's reaction and it had hardly changed since being released from her cell; still smiling. So Eila decided to push a little, "Well, that other team was spying on bandits. Bandits that you then mercilessly slaughtered. And from what the other team described, it ultimately makes me concerned about the safety of my men now and whether you're a threat."

Lelei seemed to hesitate in her translation but continued with it but Rory was hardly rattled by it, "Oh my! You certainly care for your men. Unlike the other Generals of this world who would arrogantly send their men to their deaths trying to win a battle that could never be won. But when it comes to bandits or criminals, I was simply dispensing justice."

"Justice?"

"Yes. They forfeited their lives when they chose to involve innocent people into their games. I'm sure your society has something similar to deal people who commit heinous acts."

Eila saw that Rory was right. The death penalty was hardly illegal in the Republic for its most atrocious criminals. Anakin Skywalker's padawan was almost handed that sentence.

"I understand." Eila said, "We do have a system that punishes criminals but we usually like to put such people through a trial first to determine the right punishment."

"Your society is lucky to advance that far. Trials here are dependent on influence and power. True justice is rarely ever achieved."

Eila raised an eyebrow to Rory saying such a statement when in the opinion of some people about the Galactic Republic, particularly the Separatists, Senators in the Galactic Senate are accused of being only interested in power and influence. Eila also then remembered that the trial against Skywalker's padawan turned out to be wrong. But she still wanted to know an answer to her previous question. "Still, I'm unsure of your intentions with us. What made you join us so suddenly and what's making you stay?"

Rory then looked off and began thinking of a response until she began with saying, "Honor."

"Honor?" Eila questioned with confusion.

"When I first met your men, Fordo and his team, I initially thought they were leading the people of Coda Village astray but then the people of the village convinced me otherwise. Still, I had some lingering doubts about the _intentions_ of your men. But when I saw your men selflessly defend the people from the fire dragon, I knew that they were honorable and that it would be worth spending my last years with them. To give my services to honorable friends. I also find that Republic warrior, what was his name again? Oh! Fordo to be particularly_ interesting_. Especially now after our little fight."

Eila was beginning to see that Rory had a strong sense of justice and was likewise suspicious of the clones' actions as she had been of Rory's. Although, Rory's last statement threw her in a loop, "Fordo? Interesting?" It slowly dawned on her about Rory's insinuation of Fordo, "Oh, w—well, as clone troopers, they're not allowed re—relationships of that k—kind as long as they're in the Army and you look a little too you—"

Rory interrupted with a subdued anger in her voice that Lelei likewise tried to mimic in her translation, "_I__. Am.__ N__ot__.__ A. __C__hild._"

"S—Sorry." Eila apologized then realized something that was said, "Wait, you said your 'last years'. What do you mean by that?"

Rory dropped her usual smile and fell into a melancholic mood, "General, can you please keep this a secret? And you, Lelei was it? Keep quiet about this too."

Both Lelei and Eila nodded in response.

"Well, Eila, I'm an Apostle. I've been blessed with a long life, superior strength and speed, and the ability to regenerate, among other things. But despite this, I've lived for 961 years. Another 40 years or so and I'll eventually ascend as is the endgame for all Apostles and when I do, I'll lose everything. My body, my emotions, everything that defines me will disappear when I move on from this world. I just want to enjoy my last years in the company of good people. I was afraid I would spend it wandering the world aimlessly. But meeting you people, I'm feeling such emotions that I don't think I've felt in a long time."

Eila let Lelei translate and while surprised that Rory was just as old as Master Yoda, she smiled at Rory and said, "I hope you enjoy your stay with us then."

* * *

Elsewhere, Princess Pina Co Lada entered a monastery that was tending to an injured Lord Duran. She had met Duran before at an Imperial banquet and thought of him as a fine man. To see him now without a left arm and leg and looking dishevelled made her cringe at the strength of the unknown enemy she had been sent to investigate.

"Lord Duran!" Pina said alarmed at his current state.

"Princess Pina!" Duran exclaimed in surprise but his face then fell into a frown and eyed her suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here after having followed rumors about Alnus. I heard a rumor about a Lord recuperating in this monastery who had faced the enemy."

"Rumors? Do you truly not know what happened to the Army of Unified Kingdoms at Alnus?"

"I only know that you were defeated."

"Ha!" Duran shouted, "We were defeated before we even fought! But at least the Allied Army's honor remains intact. I can't say the same for the Imperial Army! The Imperial Army was already defeated before we stepped in and the Emperor called to us anyway. I finally understood it when my scout informed me on the first day, we were a potential threat to the Empire, so the Emperor used the enemy to get rid of us."

"I—I know that the Imperial Army fought beforehand but what you're saying is..."

"The Empire betrayed us!" Duran interrupted, "So many lives tossed away to ease the Emperor's conscience!"

"M—My Lord, could you at least still tell me what you know about the enemy at Alnus?"

Duran scoffed, "If you truly want to know, why not go to Alnus yourself?" The old man turned away from her, ignoring her continued pleas for information.

Saddened that Lord Duran didn't want to cooperate any further, Pina left the monastery to discuss with her knights of where they were headed to next.

"Any new rumors for us to follow?" Pina asked as she approached the group.

"Well, apparently Italica is being attacked by some army." Hamilton said.

"Italica? It could be the enemy from Alnus. Italica lies between us and Alnus." Grey said.

Considering the destination, Pina gave the order, "Hmm, Norma, send word for the main unit to move out and meet us at Italica."

"Yes, your highness!"

Pina continued, "Hopefully, we can drive the enemy away quickly from Italica and have it as our rest stop before we go to Alnus."

* * *

A day after Eila had a talk with Rory, Fordo looked over some documents concerning the supplies needed for the refugees and was quite surprised the higher ups were willing to spare as much. He thought there would be less. Although, the General had come to him earlier that at some point, he should thank a certain Senator from Naboo for this. He would be interrupted by Fick and Ramius who would voice their concern over Tuka.

"Two of everything?" Fordo said.

"Yes, sir." Ramius said, "Supplies for herself but also for a man judging from the clothing that she asks for."

"Have you asked her why?"

"I had Lelei ask," Fick answered, "But while she's learned plenty of Basic, we didn't get far. Tuka seems to like avoiding questions. Even asked Lelei's teacher, but he doesn't really understand Tuka's behavior either."

"Thanks for the report. But, if Tuka doesn't want to say anything about what's bothering her, we'll just have to give her some space and let her come to us." Fordo said and began thinking of what was behind Tuka's actions.

Outside in the refugee area, Rory questioned to Tuka who was staring off into the distance if there was anything wrong, but Tuka would say there was nothing. Rory would then move the conversation on and lament that they would no longer be sleeping in the barracks with the clones.

"They said it was only temporary. They would make lodgings just for us." Tuka said.

"Oh, it's still a pity." Rory sadly said.

"But I wonder about how we're going to take care of ourselves."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll need to take care of ourselves at some point. The Republic soldiers won't always give us handouts and I'm unsure what to do when they stop. We might even have to sell ourselves to them if we can't provide for ourselves!"

Rory thought back to her interactions with the clones and her conversation with Eila, "You won't have to worry about that, Tuka. They're not like that."

The two of them though would be surprised to see Lelei wearing a clone trooper helmet. Lelei removed the helmet and asked the both of them to follow her, having eavesdropped on the conversation using the technology in the helmet. She would lead them outside the base where the clones had gathered the bodies of the winged dragon mounts both the Imperial and Allied armies used for air support.

"The Republic has no need for them and I asked Captain Fordo and he said that General Deova doesn't care if we take all the dragon scales we want from them." Lelei explained.

"Dragon scales? Those are quite valuable!" Tuka said.

"Yes. We won't need to sell ourselves."

After gathering an ample amount of dragon scales, Fordo and the rest of RT3 were ready to escort Tuka, Lelei, and Rory to the nearest trading hub where they could sell the scales.

"Are we a delivery service now, Captain?" Hoot asked as he and the other men of RT3 mounted their speeders.

"I don't know, Hoot. You gonna make a bet on that?"

Hoot would give a sheepish apology to Fordo but Fordo would explain to him and the other clones, "The route to Italica, the nearest trading hub, apparently has bandits roaming around. Besides, it's good that the refugees can provide for themselves and it will give the higher ups a look into this world's economics or as apparently we're supposed to call this place now, the Special Region."

Suddenly a speeder pulled up next to them and the rider pulling up her goggles then called to Fordo, "Mind if I join you?"

"G—General!" Stuttered Fick.

Fordo wasn't fazed, "Of course you can, General. But why?"

"It's a part of my duties too as a negotiator on behalf of the Republic. You are trading those scales, right? Besides, I also want to see what this Special Region is like. I don't want to spend all my time here confined to a desk."

Fordo nodded and ordered, "Alright, let's go!"


	5. Italica

As RT3 neared Italica, Fick would be the first to voice concern over a large smoke cloud in the direction of that town.

"Can anyone see if there's a cause for all that smoke?" Eila asked as they stopped their speeders, wondering if it was the fire dragon mentioned to her before.

Fordo dropped his macrobinoculars and had a quick look at the direction at town before answering, "No, General. I can't see a cause." He then ordered, "All units, eyes on our perimeter. We might not be alone. Let's keep moving."

The speeders started to move again, but in Cabby's modified speeder, Rory pushed her head out the enclosure to see the smoke from the town.

"What's wrong, miss?" Cabby asked looking back.

"I smell blood." Rory said while licking her lips.

"Uhh, Captain?" Cabby voiced on the internal comms to Fordo.

"Yeah, Cabby. I know. I heard her too. Eyes open."

* * *

While the speeders moved on to the town, they did not know that there was presently a battle going on between the town's inhabitants and a large army of rogue soldiers that had assembled outside the town's walls. Attacking the south gate, both sides pepper each other with arrows while the sentries on top of the wall dumped scalding oil on the attackers below. Making no headway as the entrance into the town had been fortified with additional reinforcements in the middle of the attack, the leader of the rogue army called on his troops to retreat. As the army promptly left, Pina stood above on the wall disheartened at current events.

'_What a disgrace the remnants of the Imperial Army that fought at Alnus have fallen to_.' Pina thought as she observed that some of the corpses of the rogue army still wore pieces of their Imperial uniform. She was also equally depressed to see some colors from the Allied Army with the rogues as well. She noted that Lord Duran would find that most disappointing. She then turned her attention to her own knights as she called if Norma and Hamilton were fine.

"I'm alive, Princess! Somehow!" Hamilton called out while Norma could only muster a weak wave.

"How cruel, Princess." Said Grey as he watched Pina descend from the wall, "Are you not concerned about me?"

"I'm not, Grey. I know you've fought and survived in even worse battles than this."

Grey would smile and laugh at her comment as Pina and Hamilton began to make their way to the Formal mansion at the center of the town that housed the former Count's daughter who had recently become the leader of Italica. While they walked, Hamilton voiced a question of why they were fighting bandits.

In a minor fit of anger, Pina shouted to Hamilton, "How should I know?! We followed the rumor you heard! I thought the army from the other world was attacking this town but they're not! Instead, we're fighting bandits who were our former comrades in arms!"

Pina then noticed that some of the townspeople were there to see her little spat at Hamilton. Pina quickly ordered to them, "This is no time to rest! You must dispose the bodies and reinforce the barricades quickly! We don't know when the enemy will return. Do not lose hope, I had ordered the main unit of my knights to come here! They will be here in less than two days! We must hold out until then."

As the two of them continued on their way to the Formal mansion, Hamilton would whisper, "Are we even going to last two days?" Pina would answer her that she be silent.

Upon reaching the mansion, Pina plopped herself on a couch, tired from the day's events, while a butler came in and would ask for her attention.

"What? What is it? Do you want to surrender?"

"N—No, you highness. It's just is there anyway to avoid further conflict?"

"Sure, open the gates."

"Princess?!"

"You'll lose everything along with all the men being killed and the women to be taken as trophies to be raped, but yes that will certainly stop anymore fighting. I'm sure I can remain sane if one or two of them have their way with me but I know I'll lose it if it's all of them at once."

"S—Surely you jest, Princess."

"Then fight if you don't want that to happen. As cruel as fighting may be, if all you do is avoid it, then you'll lose everything."

The two would be interrupted by the head maid offering Pina a meal. As she ate into it, she noted the lack of taste but the head maid would mention that having a rich meal after such heavy fighting will lead to illness. Pina would be astonished at the head maid's knowledge of battles and ask where she learned.

"I used to live in a town called Rosa a long time ago. It's Imperial territory now."

Pina grew slightly embarrassed by that fact but chose to move on, "I'll take my rest now." Before she left the room, Pina turned to the head maid, "How will you wake me when there is important news?"

"Dump water on your face, of course."

Pina was impressed by her curt statement, "Excellent."

As Pina laid on her bed, she thought about the state of the defenders. There were very few trained soldiers in Italica to begin with so they had been relying on civilian conscripts but since they lacked any formal training, they tended to die in easily avoidable incidents. Pina lamented that her first proper battle was going so poorly and eventually drifted to sleep, dreaming of better days when she formed the Rose-Order of Knights at least until they were regulated to nothing but honor guard duties.

* * *

After some time Pina got some sleep, something cold and wet woke her from her slumber and she cried out if it was an enemy attack. Greeted by Grey and the head maid holding an empty bucket, Grey would answer that he was unsure if it was a friend or foe. Immediately dressing herself, she quickly headed for the front gate of the town to see strange vehicles with strange looking men on them some distance away.

'_Floating carriages?_' Pina wondered as the story the bar maiden gave started to come back to her.

From the top of the wall, Norma shouted that the travelers identify themselves. From a distance, Pina observed from a viewport in her gate, three people hop out of the enclosure one of the floating carriages had. She was surprised to see a mage and an elf walk out. She thought about how dangerous magic from both combined together could be. But what would really catch her attention is when Rory Mercury also walked out with the mage and elf and was casually brandishing her halberd.

"Rory Mercury!" Pina cried as she pulled away from the view port.

"The famous Rory the Reaper?" Grey said behind her.

"Yes, I saw her once at a national religious service."

"But would an Apostle of Emloy really join an army of rogues?"

"I'm unsure, the actions of the gods are unpredictable anyway."

Pina closed the viewport and began to think of what decision to make as the trio started their approach. If they were here to fight, then Italica was already lost. But since Rory only showed up now, Pina understood it to be that they weren't enemies. She quickly reasoned that if the mage, elf, and Rory Mercury weren't enemies, then she must persuade them to become their allies. Pina blindly threw the door open with such force that she hardly noticed a short moment of resistance to her action.

She cried out, "Welcome!"

Only to be stopped short by the shocked looks of Rory, the elf, and mage. Pina looked down to see a white armored man with green markings on the ground. It was then Pina heard a strange noise approaching her and when she looked up, she saw the other floating carriages race towards her. All nine floating carriages immediately stopped near the entrance and all the white armored riders with the same markings got off and pointed what looked to be iron rods at her. The rider that would catch her attention would be the woman dressed like a monk who made a gesture with her hand and the other riders lowered their rods.

Pina stood motionless and in shock at the strange visitors as the elf and mage helped the man she had knocked down back up onto his feet. She observed the man dust himself off and converse with the woman dressed like a monk in a different language and saw the man tap his helmet. One of the white armored men seemed to say something that got the rest of them groaning. Eventually, he and the rest of his group turned their gaze on her.

The elf proceeded to berate her brash action, "What were you thinking? You should have realized that someone would be near the gate! Even dwarfs and commoners are more careful!"

The man she had knocked over moved to calm the elf and began to speak in her language, "So who would like to explain the situation here?"

Pina still stood motionless until Hamilton jumped in for her, "Impudent fools! That overly casual tone is an affront to the Third Imperial Princess, Pina Co Lada!"

The man then said, "Oh, the Imperial Princess, well, we have a lot to talk about."

Once Pina was finally snapped out of her appalled state, she promptly guided the new visitors into the Formal mansion and explained the importance of Italica as a commercial hub due to its position at the intersection of the Tessaria and Appia Highways. She had decided to openly invite them in as they hadn't reacted too negatively to her brash action before. She would introduce the visitors to the current ruler of Italica, Myui Formal.

"She's only a child." The man would say.

"Not like we're much older!" One of the other men called out which was met with groans from the others.

"I believe she will turn 11 this year." The mage explained to the man.

Pina would continue, "Since she is still too young to lead an army, I am leading it in her stead."

Once they were finally able to sit down to talk, Pina would finally learn all of her visitors names and in her view, they were quite eccentric names through Lelei's translations. She would also be surprised to see identical faces among the white armored men once they removed their helmets. Pina would learn that the monk dressed woman is named Eila and is also a General of an army called the Grand Army of the Republic. Eila would explain to her that the men looked the same because of a technology they possessed called cloning. Eila simplified it as like a mother having twins or triplets but with more complexities.

Going to business, Eila explained to Pina that they originally came here to sell dragon scales on behalf of Rory, Tuka, and Lelei but since there are bandits nearby and Pina's men are in dire straits, Eila extended her willingness to assist Pina in her defense of Italica.

"Y—You'll help? You'll really help us!?" Pina said ecstatically that seemed to surprise everyone in the room.

"We are willing to render assistance to you to get this town back to normal so we can sell you the scales. Of course, only if you permit it." Eila said calmly while everyone else seemed to cringe at Pina's enthusiasm.

Pina tried to regain her composure as she would order, "Yes! Yes! V—Very well! We'll have you guard the south gate!"

After their conversation, the clones quickly returned to their speeders, moved them inside the walls, and readied themselves for a fight. Pina and Hamilton would observe them.

"So these are the people the rumors are all about? The ones who drove off a fire dragon?" Hamilton questioned.

"So it would seem." Pina said.

"Is it wise to really trust them?"

"We have no choice. We need anyone we can get to defend Italica."

Back in the Formal mansion, Eila pulled out her holoprojector and it came to life having acquired a signal, to the amazement of Myui Formal and her staff. She contacted Wrench who had been left in command of the base in her absence.

"Commander."

"General."

"Looks like the comms tower is providing a stable connection."

"Yes, General. Is something wrong?"

"We've been caught up in a battle here in Italica."

"A battle? Are you and the men alright?"

"We're fine but it looks like we won't be able to return tonight."

Before Wrench could say another word, Myui had approached Eila and began passing her hand through the hologram, trying to grab anything. Despite her amazement at what she was seeing, Wrench felt it was rather rude to have some stranger interrupt them.

"Do you mind?" He said with some irritation to Myui who then sheepishly sat next to Eila and continued to watch, "As I was about to say, I understand but General, I was asked personally by General Yoda to relay to you that you and all persons involved in the fire dragon incident are to report to the Galactic Senate."

"What? Why?"

"I'm uncertain. General Yoda likewise got it from the Supreme Chancellor's Office without further explanation."

Eila sighed and continued, "Fine. We'll go when we return."

"Is there anything we can do on our end, ma'am?"

"Actually, Wrench there is."

* * *

With the setting sun, the clones looked over their field of operations with macrobinoculars and saw three men on horseback.

"Scouts." Said Alloy.

"Yeah. And the riders behind them I suspect is the main force and it looks like they're seven to nine hundred strong." Cabby estimated.

"Think their gonna come here, to the south gate?"

"Maybe, they don't have enough guys to surround the whole town. We hold an advantage with the north wall standing near a sharp cliff so they'll have to concentrate their force on one of the other three walls."

Fordo then jumped in on their conversation, "We're actually the decoys in this."

"What? How do you know, sir?" Cabby asked.

"See any of the local forces around on this wall? Also, there are nine of us plus our General and guests defending the south. The gate on this wall has been breached before. The Princess intentionally wants to make this one look weak as bait and then when the bandits fall for it, she'll finish them off at the second line of defense behind us."

"You think they'll fall for it, sir."

"Nothing is ever certain in battle. Still, let's maximize the chances of the rogues falling for it by putting out the fires. Make them think we're going to sleep. We won't need the fires with our night vision."

As the clones put out the fires and readied their night vision, Rory would question Fordo why they were choosing to help the Princess of the Empire that is also their enemy.

"Well, we're ultimately here to protect the townspeople."

"Oh?"

Feeling that she seemed unsatisfied with his answer, he continued, "We really are. I'm sure the General is thinking the same way and she's probably thinking that this will help develop a relationship with the Princess to help in negotiations. Besides, I'm sure her Jedi nature puts innocent people first and we like to subscribe to that all the same."

"Jedi? I think this is the first time I've ever heard anyone call Eila that."

"Well, it's who she is. We rarely say it because they're our superiors so we refer to their military rank instead of rather than where they're from in the Army."

"Hmm, tell me though. What's a Jedi?"

"Well, there's the Jedi Order who our General belongs to and people in the Republic say the Jedi are a group of teachers, philosophers, scientists, engineers, physicians, diplomats, and warriors."

"My! That's quite a group."

"Yeah, that they are. And they do share some things with you, Rory."

"Really?"

"Jedi can be quite agile and strong like you, and there have been some people who treat them almost like a god and they have the Force."

While flattered at the comparison, Rory questioned, "The Force?"

"You'll have to ask the General for a definitive answer on that one but from what I understand of it, it's the energy all around us and Jedi can apparently manipulate it at will."

"My, oh my!"

"Still, why were you interested in us protecting the townspeople?"

"Emloy is the god of war. He doesn't consider killing a sin. But that makes your reason for fighting important. Lies and deceit corrupt the soul."

Fordo smiled to Rory, "We're here to protect the people, that isn't a lie. But also by doing this and I'm sure the General knows it too, we want to show to the Princess that it's better to be our friend than to be our enemy."

Rory would start to laugh, "Oh, I like this! I love this! You want to terrorize the Princess to her very core into becoming your friend! If that's how it is, I will certainly help! A chance to go crazy! I can't wait!"

"Terrorize is too strong a word." Fordo would mumble under his breath.

* * *

As the sun fell below the horizon, the fields around Italica remained eerily quiet under a pale moonlight. For several hours, the men on the east and west walls were starting to wonder if an enemy attack was even coming tonight.

"Stay alert!" Norma ordered once he noticed some of his men on the east wall were beginning to yawn, "We do not know when the enemy will return so keep watching the perimeter!"

Minutes passing by soon turned into a few more hours passing of the men on the walls watching nothing. The men slowly grew more lax as the clouds had now fully obscured the moon.

Timing it carefully, the army of rogues had moved in several squads with ladders to slowly move in on the east wall. In the pitch black, Norma didn't notice the enemy until the distinct clack of a ladder hitting the wall caught his attention.

"The enemy! Enemy attack!" Norma shouted but as soon as he did, a faint glow grew closer from the distance as it turned into a hail of fire arrows that fell on the defenders, setting both defenders or flammable objects ablaze. One of the soldiers on the wall began to bang away at a bell that served as an alarm, only to be cut down moments later as the bandits had climbed on other ladders and began to swarm the top of the wall.

Upon hearing the bell, Pina who had remained at the relative center of the town to keep an eye on all three walls, was surprised that the enemy had chosen to attack the east wall and not the south that she had left weak. Reacting swiftly, she ordered a courier to call some of the west wall defenders to immediately relocate to the east but her order would take some time to take effect as the soldiers had to receive the message from the courier and then cross the whole length of the town to reach the other side.

On the south wall, Rory voiced her frustration on why the bandits were not attacking at her location. She probably didn't realize that the three scouts from earlier had caught a glimpse of her and intentionally avoided the south gate despite the opportunity they were being presented with.

"Perfect timing. These guys didn't miss a beat." Fick said noting the bandits' accuracy to attack that coincided with the weather and time and waiting for the defenders to relax.

"Remember, these guys used to be professional soldiers." Noah said and continued, "But Captain. What do we do now?"

"Hmm. Unfortunately, we can't do anything right now." Fordo said.

"You can't be serious, Captain!"

"This is the Princess' op. Unless we get orders from her, we can't do anything, isn't that right, General?"

Eila sighed as she began to explain, "As much as I hate it too, Noah. Fordo is right. If we act by ourselves without getting asked, it will look like we're trying to subvert the Princess' authority."

"But isn't that what we want, General? To show the Empire who's boss?" Hoot called out.

"Our orders were quite clear. We're here to _negotiate_ with the Empire through strength of arms. We're not here to _overthrow_ the Empire."

Hoot let out a sigh of disappointment but Eila would wonder, '_Still, what will you do now, Princess?_'

* * *

Back at the base on Alnus, Wrench briefed his men on the situation,

"The General along with Recon Team Three have become involved in a situation in the town of Italica. We are to provide support to the team on the ground. Although, this mission is at the discretion of the General of whether or not it will be approved to prevent a usurpation of political power. Regardless, the situation is as follows,"

Wrench directed the attention of the men to an overview map of Italica.

"Currently, the town of Italica is being attacked by remnants of the Imperial Army and its allies that have forsaken their governments and have resorted to banditry."

Some of the men grumbled muttering the word 'traitors'. A word that the clones prided themselves in not becoming one to the Republic. Wrench continued,

"Enemy strength is unknown and the General herself hasn't been given any concrete numbers by the local representatives as well. The General has ultimately left the decision to me on who and how many we will send. Since it will take a few hours by ground for our forces to reach Italica, I am sending our LAATs. Captain Koll!"

"Sir!"

"How many LAATs on base?"

"12 c-variants ready! 15 i-variants ready, sir!"

"Good! Then this is how it's going to go. 8 LAAT/i's and 4 LAAT/c's will take off and head for Italica. En route, contact the General for mission approval. If given, the General should also give the enemy's location and the LAATs will perform close air support to assist our troopers on the ground. Tankers! Upon learning the enemy's location, you will be dropped within 500m of the enemy by your pilots. Provide covering fire for your passengers who will disembark and create a perimeter to contain the situation.

"What happens if the General disapproves?" One of the pilots questioned.

"The General was very exact with her words. Disapproval will only come if the General is unable to secure a plea for help from the locals. Dismissed!"

* * *

At the east gate, the battle was quickly turning against the defenders. Enemies had already swarmed the top of the walls and some of them had dropped down and proceeded to open the gate for the rest of the bandit army to come in. Any archers who had survived and tried to shoot back would notice that their arrows never hit their marks as the arrows would be deflected by sudden gusts of wind conjured by a mage on the side of the bandits. Some of the men even fell off the wall when a strong wind was directed at them. On the wall, Norma battled a number of enemies at once and would cut down most of them but he was beginning to notice the twisted smile on the men he killed and wondered if they were all here to commit suicide. Personally arriving to the east gate, Pina would stare in shock at how quickly her battle plans had fallen apart and at the bandits who were now mocking the defenders by toying with and mutilating the bodies of their friends.

Losing their wits, some of the defenders began blindly charging the rogues in their rage only to be killed effortlessly for their foolish action. Norma continued to fight on top of the wall ordering the few men he had left to defend the position with their lives but even he was eventually overwhelmed by three attackers and his body callously thrown off the wall. Norma's death killed what little morale the defenders had already.

"Haha! The enemy commander is slain!" Gloated the leader of the bandits who took part in killing Norma, "Now _this_ is a proper war. That farce at Alnus will be avenged today! We will be the ones to deal death to our enemies and die satisfied! That is _our_ hymn, to Emloy!"

The bandit army cheered and beat their armor to their leader's call. In a final cry, the rogue army charged the flimsy barricades the defenders had made around the gate and began overwhelming the few defenders the east wall had left.

While Hamilton continued to mourn Norma's passing, Pina could only grit her teeth in frustration and fear as the reinforcements she had sent for at the west gate had still not arrived and the civilian conscripts were being killed so easily that the townspeople who were foolish enough to watch the battle unfold were now getting caught up in the fighting.

"Reinforcements! We need reinforcements! Where are—" Cried a defender before he was struck with an ax to the back.

'_We have no one to send!_' Pina thought, '_Even them! Why would they come when I intentionally put them on the gate I thought they would have died on!_'

On the south gate, Eila, with some embarrassment, would ask Lelei why Rory was moaning and clutching herself in such a suggestive manner. Some of the clones gave Rory a wide berth as she moaned loudly while also swinging her weapon around unable to control herself.

"She can't help it." Lelei said.

"No! N—No! At this rate, I'll—I'll—" Rory continued moaning.

"The souls of fallen soldiers are being sent to Emloy through her body," Lelei explained, "The effect on her is like an aphrodisiac."

"Can you help her?" Eila asked.

"No. She needs to satiate her lust for battle to ease the effect."

Precious minutes passed as Eila bit her lip that no one had approached them for help. Before Eila was about to reluctantly call the air support off and unilaterally go to the east gate with her men and herself to deal with the problem personally, the courier Pina had wanted to go to the west gate came running and pleaded before them. Realizing the precious time it would take for the soldiers on the west gate to get to the east gate, the courier decided to disobey Pina's order and went to them having witnessed their machines.

"Please!" He called out between labored pants, "Please help us! Please help the Princess! The east gate is about to fall!"

Rory took the man's words as an invitation and immediately dashed away from them hopping onto the rooftops and headed towards the east gate. Before Eila could even deal with Rory, a familiar tone sounded off. Taking out her holoprojector, it was a clone pilot that she recognized as Captain Koll.

"General, we're 10 minutes to the combat zone. Is this mission a go?"

Feeling relief that the plea for help by a local had come, she happily answered, "Yes, Captain. The enemy is at the east gate. Please hurry, the gate is about to be overrun."

Putting the holoprojector away, she turned to Fordo, "We're going after her. Lelei, Tuka, please stay here with Cabby and Alloy. Let's go!"

Like Rory, Eila would jump onto the rooftops and follow her. Fordo turned to his men, "You heard, the General! To the speeders!"

* * *

On the LAATs, Koll advised his fellow pilots, "Mission is a go! All units to attack formation! Have the rising sun to our backs! Carriers! Drop the tanks at the designated points on the eastern side of the town!" Koll then referred to the passengers on the LAAT/i's, "Gentlemen, prepare yourselves!"

The clones on board checked their weapons and comms before flipping the safeties off their blasters and a few brandishing Z-6 rotary blaster cannons wound up their barrels in anticipation. Some of the men hummed a tune to ease their mood while others were feeling quite happy to bring down the hammer of civilization on the barbarians they were about to face even if they weren't droids.

As the sun began to rise on the east gate, some of the larger brutish men were inflicting terrible casualties on the remaining defenders with their heavy weapons. The large brutes raised the morale for the bandits as they began to break down the barricades. If the barricades fell and the rogues were to overrun the remaining defenders, nothing would stop the bandit army from pillaging the town even if reinforcements were to come.

Fortunately for the townspeople and a horrible omen for the bandits of events to come, Rory made her presence known by casually jumping off a rooftop laughing, landing on one of the large brute's head and in doing so, snapping the brute's neck. Landing gracefully on the ground, Rory let the brute she used as a cushion fall behind her.

Both sides immediately stopped fighting at the sight of Rory but just as she prepared herself to fight, everyone heard a strange noise coming from the sky. The minor pause to the fighting would be interrupted at the sound of missiles impacting the bandit army outside the wall.

In a cavalcade of missile strikes and heavy blaster fire from both the men on the LAATs and the LAATs themselves, the rogue army was torn to shreds. The mage that had rendered arrows worthless using her wind magic would also try it on the LAATs. But while she managed to stagger the LAATs for a moment with her wind magic, the pilots compensated for her abilities and she would be promptly knocked out by a nearby explosion.

"That's the stuff, boys! Keep fire to the outside of the wall! Location of friendlies inside the wall is still to be determined." Koll advised his pilots.

Reacting to the new enemy, the bandits tried to arm ballistas that had survived the fighting on the wall but the clone pilots reacted faster by destroying the ballistas with rockets. Realizing who this enemy was, the bandits outside the wall began to flee, not wanting to repeat the nightmare of Alnus. The bandits wouldn't get very far as the AT-TEs and the infantry squads the tanks carried surprised the retreating bandits in the fields in which the retreating bandits were instantly mowed down by copious amounts of blaster fire.

From the south gate, Tuka would look at amazement at the spectacle happening on the east gate.

"Ohh, look at all of those explosions. Is that magic, too?" Tuka wondered.

Lelei would answer 'no' to Tuka as she began to walk off the wall. Cabby instantly questioned where she was headed.

"To the battle. To get a closer look."

Cabby, feeling an itch to fight, called to Lelei, "You know what? Why don't we just take you there?"

On the outside of the east wall, the rogue army cursed at the flying devils as the LAATs continued to rain death upon them. While that continued outside, on the inside of the wall, Rory swung into action and began dispensing 'justice' on the bandits. By this point, Eila also reached the battle and jumped off the rooftop to assist Rory. Igniting her lightsaber, she too began instantly cutting bandits to pieces. The men of RT3 soon followed with Fordo ordering his men to assist Rory and Eila by prioritizing the larger brutes and any who tried to flank the two.

While his men formed a standard firing line to assist Rory and Eila, Fordo moved ahead of his men and went to work by taking out any bandits who broke off from their lines and chose to continue to attack the defenseless citizens or beaten down soldiers. Fordo would use his DC-17s both offensively and defensively. In moments where enemies got too close, he would use the length of one of his blasters to block sword strikes and retaliate with his other blaster, usually using the other blaster to fire into the gut of his enemies. One of the larger men eventually came after him but he handled the man quickly by firing a grappling hook from his wrist and sent an electrical charge through it incapacitating the man.

The bandits began trying combat formations and flanking to overwhelm Rory or Eila but Rory's strength easily bit through their shield formations and larger men with her halberd and Eila's agility and potent weapon continued to show the futility of using simple metal weapons against a lightsaber. Any who tried to flank them would be sidelined by the rest of RT3. As the two continued to fight, Eila would catch a glimpse of Rory smiling at her. Eila wasn't quite sure how to react to it as while she was defending the people, she didn't like the sensations she was feeling from Rory in her lust for battle. She would only return a blank stare.

"Fall back! Fall back and regroup!" The leader of the bandits ordered.

As they tried to do so, Eila held out her hand and used the Force to bring the bandits closer to her and stripped them of their shields and weapons that came to float in front of her. Eila cut the metal shields and weapons in half and tossed them aside while Rory took advantage of the opening by gutting the defenseless men with her halberd.

"Witchcraft!" The leader shouted, "Why has a Priestess of Emloy sided with a witch!?"

It would be the leader's last few words as an explosion would throw him off the wall and he would land hard on the ground. As Rory butchered another bandit, the leader sputtered to her as he reached his hand out,

"This! T—This! This can't be called a war! A—Answer me, Priestess of Em—"

"Silence, vermin." Rory muttered after bringing the full force and weight of her halberd on the leader's head before he could finish, leaving a gooey mess.

Seeing the demise of their leader rattled the bandits but some of those who held authority with the rabble tried to regroup the men. As they tried, Fordo had advised Koll of the location of friendlies inside the wall in which Koll would declare that he was about to wipe out all the targets inside the gate on the count of ten. Fordo immediately called to Eila, "General! Get yourself and Rory out of there!"

Hearing Fordo and seeing a LAAT come around, targeting the gate, Eila dashed to Rory and quickly carried her out of the fighting. Rory would wonder with some frustration to why she was being pulled away from the fight. Once Koll finished his countdown, he unleashed the rapid fire fury of the chin mounted laser cannon turrets of the LAAT. He even threw in a couple of rockets. The townspeople and remaining defenders could only gawk at the carnage a single LAAT could bring down on its enemies. In a few short moments, all the bandits who were inside the gate lay dead, most of them being just a bunch of unidentifiable chunks.

"A m—m—monster..." Hamilton stuttered as she watched the LAAT begin to move off having finished it's job.

"N—No. An iron Pegasus?! What is that thing?!" Pina said as she also saw the clones on the LAAT waving to her, "And iron elephants outside the walls?! What the hell are the gods playing at?!"

Soon enough, the clone troopers who had arrived with the tanks began entering the east gate and securing the area. They were likewise securing any bandits outside the town who had wisely decided to surrender while the medics fanned out to tend to the wounded.

"Sector is clear." Declared a trooper seeing that there were no bandits inside the town to detain.

Some of the townspeople, realizing the battle was over and the town was saved, approached Fordo, "You saved our town. We are grateful. But, where does your army come from?" One man said.

Fordo answered, "We're from the Grand Army of the Republic."

A short distance away, Lelei and Tuka arrived with Cabby and Alloy. Lelei expressed minor disappointment as she said, "It's over."

* * *

_Author's_ _Note_: To answer where are Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka are, I mentioned in an earlier chapter that Anakin and Obi-Wan are still in the Outer Rim. In another chapter I mention Ahsoka's trial so it would mean that the story is set after she left the Jedi Order.


	6. Differences

Clone troopers along with the townspeople started to clean up the town. Under the gaze of the four AT-TEs brought to the battle that now surrounded Italica guarding the main highways and fields, troopers helped the civilians clear rubble, take care of the wounded, and collect the dead. Out of the now known 2000 bandits who took part in the attack, less than 200 survived. Despite the victory, Pina still felt uneasy at their supposed enemy helping them restore order to the town.

"We are victorious, Princess." Said Hamilton, "Why do you look unhappy?"

"This victory isn't ours, Hamilton." Pina replied, "This victory belongs to the Priestess of Emloy, Rory Mercury, and to the Grand Army of the Republic. We own nothing here."

"We still played a part in the bandits' defeat." Hamilton continued.

"Can't you see what's wrong, Hamilton? In our—my haste to defend Italica, I've invited an even more terrifying force. Imagine if the iron beasts and magics of the Republic were turned against us? Looking at it right now, one of the Empire's most important hubs is now in the hands of the enemy and the people welcomed them with open arms."

"That's not true, Princess! The people—"

Pina shook her head, "Can you be so sure the people still regard the Empire with veneration? Remember who the bandits used to serve? _They_ saved the town. If they demanded our surrender since you are a part of the Imperial military and I am the royalty of the Empire, I'd fall to my knees and ask for mercy."

Fortunately for Pina, the Republic didn't ask for grovelling as negotiations took place back at the Formal mansion. While Hamilton listed the provisions of a new treaty between the Republic and Italica, Myui who was also with them openly declared her intention,

"Give them anything they want."

Both Hamilton and Pina were dumbfounded. Pina tried to speak Myui out of simply handing everything over, "C—Countess Formal, we shouldn't just gi—"

"I don't care, they saved the town my family has worked so hard to build over countless generations. They deserve our respect. You may be acting as my regent, Princess, but you should likewise heed my opinion." She sternly stated.

Myui's fortitude surprised Pina and made Pina somewhat embarrassed and regretful that she was never like this with her father when she was young. Reluctantly accepting Myui's declaration, she directed Hamilton to agree on any provision the Republic wanted. Upon its conclusion, Grey approached an exhausted Pina and questioned how the negotiations went.

"Fine, I guess. Even though, Myui wanted to hand them everything." Pina said, "They will take some of the prisoners, asked us to handle any of the diplomatic delegation's security and expenses, and they're to be exempted from all taxes in Italica."

"What about a military occupation?" Grey asked.

"One of the soldiers, Fordo, I believe his name was, did seem interested in having one for the purposes of 'security' until the town got its defensive forces back up. But his General, Eila Deova, refused. I didn't understand the reasons behind her decision since they talked about it in their language and the mage didn't translate the conversation."

"So there won't be an occupation. Hmm. For a victor, these conditions they've asked for are extremely light. They've hardly gained anything even with Countess Formal consenting to any demand they make. Surprising they didn't take advantage of it."

Pina quietly pondered on why the Republic was being so easy on them. Unfortunately, she would reason this is a ploy by them to seem humble and then when everything falls into place for them, they'll take the Empire for fools. She resolved in protecting the Empire at all cost.

Soon enough, all the troopers who arrived to help in the battle for Italica, boarded their LAATs or AT-TEs to be brought back to Alnus. With them, they took prisoners like the mage who served the bandits. Eila would smile at the sight of the people of the town happily waving to their saviors goodbye before going with Lelei, Tuka, and Rory to a buyer. As the troopers left, Fordo and his men waited for the girls to sell the dragon scales they came to Italica for in the first place. Once their transaction was done and Eila had taken some notes on how business was done in the Empire, Fordo ordered everyone to return to base.

They wouldn't get very far from Italica as they would spot a dust cloud heading for them. Assuming it was more bandits, the troopers dismounted their speeders and took defensive positions using the speeders as improvised cover. Using her macrobinoculars, Eila noticed that the approaching riders were women wearing armor similar to the Princess Pina and carrying flags with a rose on it. Noting that the Princess mentioned about her knights heading for Italica during the treaty negotiations, Eila ordered Fordo and his men to stand down, not wanting to violate the treaty. Getting back on their speeders, they decided to wait for the riders to pass and even give information to them if they asked. As the riders approached, one of the light haired knights' demanded to know where Eila, Fordo, and his men came from.

Fordo answered to them, "We're returning from Italica."

"Going to?" The knight asked having grown suspicious.

"Back to Alnus."

The situation immediately fell apart as the knights drew their swords and readied their spears. Eila ordered the men to stand down as some readied to grab their blasters. A blonde 'drill' haired knight approached Fordo and questioned if he was the enemy from the other world. Staying silent, Fordo would be relieved as Eila spoke on his behalf as she approached the knights having left her speeder.

"Yes we are. We are from the other world."

"You admit your crime! Surrender!" The blonde knight demanded.

"Please, remain calm. If you'll let me ex—"

Before Eila could even finish, the blonde knight punched her. Falling to the ground, Eila heard her men call to her but despite being surprised at the sudden act by the knight, she continued to order her men to stand down. As she got up, Eila again tried to explain but would instead receive a slap from the same knight. Finally fed up with getting smacked around, Eila used the Force to yank all of the weapons and shields the knights were carrying and flung them away to the surrounding fields. Some even fell off their horses as they tried to tighten their grip on their weapon that had seemed to have grown a mind of its own. Shocked at the display of power, the knights would be unnerved further when Eila would ignite her lightsaber and used the Force to drag the blonde knight close to her that the lightsaber almost burned the knight's hair.

In manner that was unusual to come from a Jedi from the perspective of the clones, Eila said to the blonde knight in a seething tone, "You're coming to Italica with us."

* * *

Explaining herself to Pina at the Formal mansion, the blonde knight would be surprised when Pina threw her drink at her. The goblet struck the blonde knight in the head causing some bleeding.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Bozes!" Pina cried.

"P—Princess! What did we do wrong?" Another knight said as she put a handkerchief to Bozes' head wound.

"Can't you see!?" Pina shouted as she turned to see Eila being handed a cold pack to place on her cheek by Ramius. "To violate the treaty on the day it was signed, what an embarrassment!"

Pina ordered the maids to take both parties to their respective rooms and take care of them as her face fell into her hands at the violation of the treaty so quickly. Grey approached Pina and explained a serious consequence to the violation of the treaty.

"What a complete disaster. They could use this as a justification to start a war." Grey said.

"And if that happens, we're finished." Pina mumbled.

"Still, there were only minor injuries to one person."

"Minor? Those injuries were inflicted on the most important person to the Republic!" Pina began shouting.

"I meant no disrespect, Princess. But wouldn't it be easier to simply apologize to General Deova and her men?"

"You want me to bow to them?"

"No, not really. But, would you rather face them in battle?"

Pina grimaced at the possibility of trying to fight the Republic. While Pina languished with that possibility, the maids tended to Eila, the clones, and their guests. Since she only suffered a bruised cheek, Eila refused any extravagant treatment from the maids but some of the clones like Hoot and Ray certainly enjoyed the extra attention. Hoot was even getting a little flirty with one of the maids until he saw Fick shaking his head in disapproval. Lelei, Tuka, and Rory would remain indifferent when the maids handled their requests. After calling Wrench that they would be delayed getting back home, the snake haired maid would get rather close to Eila noting that she smelled like the former Count but would be smacked by the human maid for being rude. Fordo would approach Eila wanting to know something about the incident from earlier.

"General?"

"Yes, Fordo?"

"I'm no expert on Jedi but, is it normal for you guys to use the Force and get angry like that?"

The room fell silent as the other clones and Lelei, Tuka, and Rory were also interested in an answer for that.

Fordo continued, "I only ask since Jedi apparently keep a lid on their emotions."

"We certainly do, we try to keep our emotions in check." Eila said, "But we're still like any other living being, we can't get rid of our emotions. What happened today, that was—that was a personal mistake by me. I'm sorry." Eila then seemed to trail off as she mumbled about feeling a loss of control because of war. She also realized that the rest of the troopers were surprised by her actions since they weren't assigned to her when her Master was still leading. Those were darker days.

Fordo, who was close enough to hear her mumbling stayed silent as he wondered if 'war' meant the one here or the Clone Wars. Fordo would likewise remember when General Ki-Adi-Mundi almost put the mission at risk because of his emotions when he rescued the Jedi from General Grievous on Hypori.

Meanwhile, Pina held a conference with Bozes and the other knight involved in the incident, Panache. Not wanting to personally bow down, Pina would try a different method with the two of them instead.

"Bozes, Panache. You attacked the envoys of the Republic after we signed a treaty with them that ensured their safety. The fact that you, Bozes, assaulted the General of the Grand Army of the Republic makes your actions a serious treaty violation. They have the power to defeat a fire dragon and wipe out conventional armies in seconds. If they use this incident to start a war, the Empire will suffer as a consequence." Pina explained to her two knights.

"Y—Yes." Bozes meekly answered.

"To ensure that this incident is forgotten, you need to offer your body to them." Pina said, directing her intent at Bozes.

"P—Princess?"

"Yes?"

"The General of the Republic is a woman, how could I—"

Pina raised her hand to stop her, "The General may be interested in women. You never know. But even if she isn't, she has her men with her. It's a shame to hand you over to them but this must be done."

Trying to find some courage in herself, Bozes declared, "I shall offer myself to them for the sake of you and the Empire!"

Panache would quietly give a sigh of relief that she didn't have to do anything as drastic as what Bozes had been asked to do. Pina sighed as well and hoped that this would placate the Republic from attacking the Empire as she dismissed the two knights.

After changing to her nightgown, Bozes prepared herself before entering the room with the Republic delegates inside. She had never laid with anyone before and was hoping that the General or her men would be gentle with her. Taking a deep breath, she opened the doors to see the clone soldiers having casual chats with the maids and seeing Eila still tending to her cheek as she sat on the bed.

Eila took notice to their visitor, "Oh! Ms. Knight! Or I think I heard the Princess call you, Bozes. What brings you here?"

Bozes jumped at the call of her name but sheepishly approached Eila. She had assumed that they wouldn't have noticed her with all of them chatting. The other clones and maids stopped talking and turned their attention on her causing Bozes to feel very uneasy at all of them staring at her.

Bozes tried to talk, "I—I—"

"Yes?" Eila said.

Bozes decided to just yell out her intention, "I—I—I'm here to offer my body to you! Please be gentle with me!"

"Huh?" This reaction wasn't just limited to Eila but also the clones.

"I—I, Bozes Co Palesti, the second d—daughter of the House of Palesti, offer myself over to you as your servant! As recompense for my attack on you!" She proclaimed as she knelt before Eila with her head down.

Minutes of silence passed as Bozes waited for an answer. She was starting to feel insulted that the people of the Republic weren't snappier with their decisions as she imagined that a person from the Empire would have gladly accepted her. Before she could make her complaint about them not being more decisive, Eila finally spoke.

"We don't do that here."

"Huh?" Bozes reacting the same as everyone before.

"We—I, can't accept your offer." Eila said

Bozes now felt discouraged, "I—I understand. You think I'm worthless."

"No, no, no! It's just, I'm a Jedi. I'm not allowed to have _intimate_ relationships."

"Then for your men! I can still be—"

"Sorry, it's the same for them too. As long as they're in the Army, they can't have such relationships either. It's the rules our society has. Besides, slavery is illegal in the Republic."

"Then it's over." Bozes said as tears began to fall from her eyes, "By rejecting me, you'll destroy the Empire as your just reward."

"What?"

"Isn't that what this is? Why the Princess sent me? I know how the game is played! If you accepted me, the Empire would be safe but since you don't want me, the Empire is doomed." Bozes began to openly cry into Eila's lap.

Eila began stroking Bozes' head to comfort her and said, "Obviously, both you and the Princess don't understand the game _we're_ playing. We want to negotiate with the Empire, not destroy it. We just want our people back."

After stroking her head for a few minutes, Eila noticed that Bozes had actually fallen asleep on her lap although was still sniffling a bit. Feeling tired herself, Eila suggested that they all get some sleep. It had already been a lengthy two days of staying awake.

* * *

In the morning, Pina was puzzled that the people from the Republic had refused Bozes. In Pina's view, for them to refuse Bozes meant that they wanted war but Eila came to explain why the Republic was in the Special Region in the first place. Even with Lelei's help in translation, Pina still thought that even though they were their to negotiate the release of the people taken during the incident on Coruscant, she still felt they needed to be placated by some other means.

"Why don't you stay for breakfast?" Pina insisted.

"Sorry, but we need to leave as soon as possible." Eila said.

"W—Why?"

"I've been recalled. I've been asked to report to the Senate about recent incidents here. In fact, Captain Fordo and his team have also been asked to report to the Senate as well."

Fordo and his men would be surprised that they were also being asked to come.

Pina panicked as she called out, "Your Senate!?"

She realized to her horror that anything negative that they could report might bring down the wrath of the Republic onto the Empire. Even if Eila carried good intentions, in her view, politicians are not as forgiving. She then thought of one way to save the Empire.

"W—Wait! Please take me with you. I wish to apologize to your political leaders and top military leaders for violating the treaty. I'm sure that will be acceptable, General?" Pina proposed.

Eila noticed the determination in Pina's eyes to preserve the Empire even though she already made it clear they weren't there to destroy it. She wondered if Lelei was getting the translation wrong or if the people from the Empire were just paranoid that they couldn't just trust the words of a General but she would accept Pina's offer. Before leaving, Eila would inform Wrench of their visitors and to tell the Jedi Order and Senate about them.

As they prepared to leave on speeders and Pina and Bozes approached Eila and the team, Hoot would notice something about the two.

"What a dorky looking pair of outfits!" Hoot snickered looking at Pina and Bozes clothing as they entered into Ramius' speeder. Fordo remained silent while the others groaned at Hoot. Once they were aboard, the team made its way back to Alnus.

During the ride, both Pina and Bozes noted how smooth and fast their ride was and both would be surprised when it didn't take very long to reach Alnus. What should had been days of continuous travel was achieved in a few short hours.

Upon approaching Alnus, LAATs would fly overhead which both fascinated and terrified Pina and Bozes. Getting closer, they would see clone troopers practicing their aim with their iron rods. They also saw some of the clone troopers practicing close combat without those rods. Once she observed the rods, Pina would ask Lelei about them as she was in the enclosure with them.

"Their weapons. Are all of the Republic's clone soldiers mages?"

"No." Lelei answered, "It is not magic. Those weapons are called blasters."

"Blasters?"

"I am still unsure of the finer mechanics behind it but from what I was told, blasters harness an energy-rich gas that is converted and fired as a bolt of plasma energy that penetrates and melts through metals and other materials. The clone soldiers have been trained to fight with blasters. The superior range and power of blasters is what gives the Republic soldiers their strength." Lelei explained.

"Plasma energy? If that's not magic from the gods then what is it?"

"Science. And it is because of that science the Empire lost."

Before Pina could answer, she and Bozes would be shocked at the sight of AT-TEs walking around and firing at targets in a training field with the those tanks being backed up by LAATs that were also practicing their aim.

"Iron Pegasus' and iron elephants!" Bozes called out.

"Yes and with the tactics and support of the clone troopers, the Republic has mastered something called 'combined arms' warfare." Lelei explained.

"Why? Why is an army like this attacking us?" Pina said.

"The Empire plundered their homes and citizens during its expedition through the Gate. They would naturally want justice."

Pina would become embarrassed at asking a stupid question. The Empire would likewise retaliate if someone launched an unprovoked attack against them. As she continued to stare at the vehicles and the men training, she eventually came to a realization of how the Republic handles war noting how they helped the people of Coda Village and remembering the head maid back in Italica, "We can conquer a country by force, but we can't never truly win the people." She lamented.

Upon entering to the Republic base, Fordo would be pestered by Ramius to have his head checked having suffered two strikes to the head in a short amount of time. Consenting to his advice just so Ramius wouldn't bother him anymore, he waited for Pina and Bozes since it was standard procedure to have new visitors checked by a doctor first. Pina continued to try to convince Eila not to report anything negative about the Empire, but she would be turned away as Eila would mention that she needed to handle some paperwork before they would all leave for the Gate. Eila would instead direct Pina to their medical facilities first to make sure no diseases were being transmitted between worlds adhering to the procedure and once she was done in medical, she could bother Fordo instead. Sadly leaving with Fordo to the medical bay, Eila gave a sigh of relief as she entered her office to handle the paperwork but would see that Wrench was there.

"Wrench."

"General."

"Pretty interesting sights when we came back here."

"Well, when I informed the Senate of our guests, the Chancellor wanted to give them a show."

"I felt their fear. The Chancellor might be getting confused about our role here."

"I don't believe so. Giving them a show of force will easily convince this Princess to take negotiations seriously."

"I hope so. Once the negotiations are done, we can just guard the Gate on our side if everything pans out."

Eila began shuffling through the paperwork and remembered, "Oh, give Fordo the reasons why he and his team are being called. I forgot to tell him. Have him ask Lelei, Tuka, and Rory to join too as representatives of the Special Region. Tell them we're staying there for two days."

"What about the Princess and her aide?"

"Same deal for them too."

Later that night, Pina and Bozes discussed the possibility of the Republic attacking the Empire, using what happened at Italica as an excuse.

"I don't believe so anymore." Pina said, "If they did plan on attacking, why would they agree to our presence and treat us so well? We even got invited to see their world."

"Then the negotiations..." Bozes said.

"I don't know. From what you and the General told me, they're not after our territory but their people. For them to care so much about their people...our cultures are just so different." Pina began to remember that there were quite a few skirmishes years ago where the Empire used to compete with its neighbors and willingly sacrificed its citizens just to protect a few pieces, of what turned out to be, useless land. She shook her head at the differences in philosophy.

* * *

The next morning, Fordo and his men were ready to depart along with Rory, Tuka, and Lelei as an airspeeder transport waited. Fordo would be back in his Coruscant Guard colors while the others ditched the green markings for pure white armor. Fick would question the wisdom of bringing Rory.

"Is it alright to bring _her_?" Fick asked.

"The General approved it. I'm guessing the General just doesn't want Rory to be left alone here. Probably not wanting some sort of unfortunate incident to happen. Besides, when I mentioned to Tuka about going to Coruscant, Rory jumped at the chance to join before I could tell her she was already invited." Fordo said.

Soon enough, the group would be joined by Eila alongside Wrench, Pina, and Bozes. After greeting them, Fordo would ask about Pina and Bozes.

"We're bringing them along too, General?"

"The Princess is our go-between for the Empire. There's nothing wrong with showing them our world."

Seeing that Wrench was also coming along, Fordo would question who was to be left in command of the base to which Eila said that Captain Koll was being left in charge. Eventually, Eila signaled the operator for the blast doors to the Gate and Rory, Tuka, Lelei, Pina, and Bozes watched in awe as the blast doors revealed the large marble Gate.

Pina would mutter under her breath, "Beyond this gate, lies the Republic!"

* * *

_Author__'s Note_: Just a short aftermath chapter that was easy to push out.

Just gonna say sorry in that its taken so long for me to start making changes that are different from canon. Please bear with me.

I did mention in an earlier chapter's _Author's Note_ that this is Fordo from _Star Wars: Clone Wars_.

As for if Palpatine's going to get into a fight, I don't really know if I can make and justify a situation where he will. Remember that this is the guy who didn't care about the Ewoks on Endor, 20 years after the Clone Wars. Why would he care about the equally primitive Empire now if they don't really pose a personal and direct threat to him?

Pina meeting Yoda? I haven't really thought of a situation like this since I don't know what they would say to each other that wouldn't be addressed by the politicians Pina will meet.


	7. Recall

After boarding the airspeeder transport and a short ride through the darkness of the Gate, the people from the Special Region would stare in wonder when the darkness of the Gate was replaced with the vibrant city lights of Coruscant in the late afternoon. They would all take in the sites as the airspeeder left the Uscru district and joined the rest of the speeder traffic to make its way to the Senate building. While Tuka and Rory gave their 'ohhs' and 'ahhs' at the various things they were seeing, Lelei would make observations of the buildings on Coruscant and wonder what kind of materials had to be used to make them so high. Pina and Bozes would remain gobsmacked at the sites they were seeing as they now wondered what ran through the minds of the expedition force when they chose to foolishly fight a civilization that could make such structures and fantastical machines. Pina then realized something that she had missed as she watched a ship ascend beyond the sky and into space.

"T—This is—This is, the future!" Pina exclaimed which caught everyone's attention. "The Republic is a society that is thousands of years ahead of our own! You have ships that can reach the heavens!"

"Yeah. So what, Princess? You knew we were more advanced than you." Hoot said to her.

"But you never told us you could also go to the heavens!"

"The heavens? Oh, you mean space? Yeah, space travel is very common in the Republic. Did no one tell you?"

Pina shook her head, along with everyone else from the Special Region. Hoot slowly continued as he was now unsure if the people from the Special Region really knew about them.

"Then," Hoot began slowly, "Did any of you know that when we say 'the Republic', that's just short hand for the 'Galactic Republic'?"

Again, the same people shook their heads.

"Then, I guess it also means you guys didn't know that the Galactic Republic is a _galaxy spanning_ government with _thousands of star systems_ or in other words, _thousands of planets_ under its belt?"

More of the same head shaking.

Hoot finally said, "Ah, crap."

As the airspeeder continued its trip, the clones quickly began to explain what they knew about the Galactic Republic. Among the many things the clones quickly went over, they would mention the various alien races that existed in the galaxy and the ongoing Clone Wars. Eila would be mildly amused at Pina, Bozes, Lelei, Tuka, and even Rory hanging on to the clones' every word. It reminded her of her early days as a padawan, listening to various Jedi Masters explain the galaxy and the Force to her.

Nearing the Senate building, Pina would become interested in the Clone Wars the Republic was currently engaged in as the sound of robotic and cloned armies clashing on different worlds intrigued her imagination but would equally lament that the Empire was truly insignificant in the wider scheme of things. Hearing about the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Pina initially entertained the idea of opening a dialogue with the Separatist Alliance but ultimately dropped it when the thought of heartless robotic armies marching through the Empire instead of the clone army as the alternative was equally depressing. It was also a practical impossibility for the Separatists to even visit the Empire since the Gate was in the heart of the Republic.

Upon landing at the Senate building, the group would be greeted by a few random Senators with their Senate Commando escorts. Leading the Senators, Senator Amidala introduced herself to the group and began to explain what was going to happen during the hearing. While that happened, Eila and Wrench would be approached and greeted by a slick-looking man wearing civilian clothes who was also accompanied by Senate Commandos. The man would motion to her and Wrench to join him away from the group.

"General Eila Deova and CC-1221, Clone Commander Wrench." The man started.

"And you are?" Eila asked.

"I'm Agent Gidezain Crom. Republic Intelligence."

Eila's mood immediately went sour as she sarcastically replied, "Republic Intelligence? And to what honor have I been given to be graced with your presence?"

Crom met her sarcasm with his own, "We might not interact with Jedi much, but _we're at least all on the same side_, General."

She frowned at the man's insinuation, "I didn't get that _hospitality_ from your colleagues when the Chancellor found the Order's investigation to be insufficient."

"We were just being thorough, General. After all, being the former padawan of General Pong Krell, well...it made us wonder. It was also a surprise to us and the Chancellor that even after General Krell's true colors were revealed, the Jedi Order allowed you to remain in command and even take control of his troops. It just didn't make sense to us."

Eila's frown grew deeper at the mention of her former master's name. Wrench also hated to hear the name of his former General. For Wrench, in particular, the mention of Krell made his blood boil as so many troopers had fallen under Krell's leadership. In retrospect, Wrench was one of the few clones left who had survived under Krell's entire tenure; every other clone had perished needlessly with their sacrifice being especially pointless after Krell's deception was exposed.

"Why are you here, Mr. Crom?" Eila sneered.

"Assigned by the Chancellor to act as a guard for you and your guests. And maybe to provide a change of clothes for your guests. We don't want them looking sloppy for the Senate." Crom said as he looked over to see Tuka wearing casual clothes. "Maybe to also cover up your friend's weapon." He also looked at Rory's halberd that seemed to be unsettling the greeting Senators and Commandos.

Surely enough, Crom brought the group to a part of the Senate building where they could change clothes. Only Tuka took up the offer, choosing from an assortment of formal clothing Crom had the foresight of picking up. Once Tuka finished picking an outfit and Rory's halberd was wrapped up, she and the others except for Pina and Bozes would head to the Senate Chamber to begin the report to the assembled Senators there. Being pulled away from the group, Pina and Bozes would instead be sent to a different room to be greeted by Vice Chancellor Mas Amedda and Grand Master Yoda. The two would be perplexed by the alien appearance of the two officials meeting them. They were particularly at a loss with Yoda's appearance since they couldn't tell if he was some elven/dwarf hybrid. They would take a minor comfort that they at least had Ray and Hoot with them for company and acting as their translators. While their meeting got underway, the Senate Chamber also came to order to start the report. A majority of the people on Coruscant, especially those who have a personal connection to the incident in the Uscru district, would watch the Senate session unfold on the HoloNet.

The session began with a briefing on the fire dragon incident. Senator Aang of the Military Oversight Committee would question Fordo and some of the other men of RT3 on the dragon's capabilities and what would be needed to permanently end its influence since the dragon escaped. When Fordo concluded that the use of heavier arms would deal a deathblow to the dragon, most of Senate agreed with the decision but Senator Amidala would protest stating that the dragon had nothing to do with the overall mission in the Special Region. Still, the vote to increase military expenditures on the Special Region went through as it would be reasoned that while the dragon was irrelevant to the goals planned for the Special Region, its presence endangered the lives of the troopers. However, just as when it seemed the line of questions had ended, Senator Lott Dod of the Trade Federation decided to speak.

"Captain Fordo." Dod began.

"Yes, Senator." Fordo said.

"Where was your Jedi commander at the time of the incident?"

"General Deova? She was back at the base at the time."

"Back at the base? Hmm, with such a threat the dragon posed, the presence of a Jedi could have turned the battle into an absolute victory, would it not have, Captain?"

Fordo immediately read the tone the Senator was going for and he wasn't going to buy into it, "I wouldn't care to speculate, sir." He sternly stated.

Seeing that Fordo wasn't going to budge, Dod turned to the rest of the Senate, "Still, to you and to the members of this Senate, it would be logical to assume that if General Deova was there, the number of casualties among the civilians could have been limited to a _very_ bare minimum."

Some of the Senators began to grumble in quiet approval of Dod's reasoning. Not wanting to just take it, Eila stood up to confront Dod but was mindful of her tone and responses since she didn't know if any of the other members of the Jedi Council were also in the Chamber watching.

"Senator Dod," Eila said trying to keep a calm voice. "I was unable to join Recon Team Three at the time due to important documents that required my immediate attention."

Dod raised his brow and gave a sly smile, "Documents? General Deova, sending your men into such a dangerous situation should have required your immediate attention. Paperwork can always wait if lives are at stake."

"I trust my men to make it home safely and I did not know that the fire dragon even existed or was a threat until I debriefed Captain Fordo upon his return."

"Shouldn't your abilities as a Jedi have foreseen that possibility? In fact, you decided to send out recon teams before you even established proper communications. That by itself is a serious error in judgment."

Eila begrudgingly accepted to that the Jedi's ability to predict the future has been less than stellar since the start of the Clone Wars. Although, the Jedi Council had decided to keep quiet about this so while she made her restrained and careful rebuttal to the Senator, Rory would question Ramius on why was Eila being handed such questions. Rory was starting to becoming annoyed with the Senator's tone and was tugging at the wrappings on her halberd. Ramius wouldn't be able to give her a definitive answer as he tried to calm her down but Senator Dod had been secretly contacted by Count Dooku with instructions from Darth Sidious that during the Senate session, the Jedi should be placed in a negative light to further fuel the growing doubt the people already had in the Jedi. Ultimately, Senator Dod would finish and Eila would return to her seat feeling agitated.

Next, the session moved forward with the needs of the refugees that resulted from the fire dragon incident. Senator Amidala would question Lelei, Tuka, and Rory on the subject. Senator Amidala would also question details on their personal lives in which the Senators would be wary of Rory as she openly announced that she kills people for a living. Besides Rory, Senator Amidala would be thoroughly impressed that the clones have provided everything the refugees asked for and that Lelei, in particular, had learned to speak Basic and write in Aurebesh so well in such a short time and was taking the time to translate for the other two. Senator Amidala would proposition that more supplies be sent to assist any refugees the clone army came across in the Special Region. This decision was a little more split as some Senators wanted to hold on to the supplies they had for the ongoing refugee crisis as a result of the Clone Wars. In the end, Amidala's decision would pass but the supplies would be sent voluntarily by individual Senators who wanted to spare them.

The session moved on to the incident in Italica, again Senator Aang would question Fordo and the other clones on the capabilities of the bandits that currently roamed the Special Region. Ultimately, the capabilities of the bandits would also be equated to the capabilities of the Empire's armies. Fordo and the clones would report that all the enemies they've come across including the battle at Italica, with the exception of the fire dragon; they were all a relatively low threat due to the sheer difference in technology and tactics. Although, Fordo would caution against a lax attitude as he would reference the incident with the Talz on Orto Plutonia and the Uscru incident itself as examples that even with primitive weapons, troopers can still die. Fordo would also note to some unconvinced Senators that while bandits may not be a significant threat to the clone army, they are a threat to the people of the Special Region. Satisfied with the answers he had been given, Senator Aang would begin trying to question Rory, due to her role during the battle for Italica, but he would be stopped by Senator Dod. Senator Dod opted to question Rory instead, trying to give Senator Aang a 'break'.

"Ms. Mercury." Dod began in which Rory would acknowledge him. "You personally played a crucial role in saving the town of Italica from 2000 bandits. How did the clone army respond to the threat?"

Rory waited for Lelei to translate for her and she answered, "Your soldiers did splendid work. Your men instilled the fear of the gods on the bandit scum. It was a shame your men took prisoners after the battle, I would have killed them all."

Dod would ignore the last part of her answer and continued, "I see. It is written in a report filed by Captain Fordo that Recon Team Three did not immediately assist in the defence of the town. Why is that, Ms. Mercury?"

After Lelei finished translating, Rory hesitated for a moment but eventually answered, "Eila—General Deova, did not want the men to act without a call for help. She di—"

"Ahh, I see!" Dod interrupted, "Once again, General Deova has demonstrated poor judgement! The General did not allow her troopers to assist in the defense of the town as soon as it was attacked and as a result, many innocent people died! Isn't that right!? Acting like your former Master, I see!"

There would be a moment of silence, but before Eila could get up and give the Senator a verbal lashing, Rory made the outburst for her in perfect Basic.

"**ARE YOU AN IDI**—"

"**MS. MERCURY!**"

Everyone winced at the sudden shouting but Rory would be surprised when it was the Supreme Chancellor who interrupted her attempted shout at Senator Dod.

"Ms. Mercury!" Palpatine repeated, "While you are a stranger to our world and a valued guest, please refrain from making any outrageous outbursts."

"W—Wha—" She was having some trouble comprehending what just happened.

"Despite any disagreement you may feel with anyone in this Chamber, we do not lash out to prove a point. Restrain yourself and maintain_ respect_."

Once Rory's confusion had passed, she felt angrier than she's ever felt before. She hated people, especially complete strangers, telling her how she should act. She felt that she should be free to express herself however she likes regardless if she's talking to some commoner or a god. She was tugging hard at the bindings for her halberd and intended to show the Senator and the Chancellor the price for insulting an Apostle. Although, before Eila could act to restrain her as she felt Rory's intent through the Force, when Rory focused on Palpatine, she suddenly felt an instinctual warning to not anger the man when she locked onto his eyes. All the rage she felt seemed to drain from her completely as Rory couldn't explain to herself why that anger was being replaced with _fear_ as she looked at this frail-looking old man who likewise gave a cold empty stare back at her. There was something about the Supreme Chancellor that made Rory stop herself from uncovering her halberd and just wrecking havoc.

"I—I understand, Chancellor." Rory meekly said to the surprise of Eila and RT3 that she wasn't being more hostile.

Palpatine continued, "And you, Senator Dod. Please allow our guests to give complete testimonies before questioning them further."

"Y—Yes, Chancellor." Dod answered.

Because of his interruption, Dod would be insisted upon to yield the floor to Senator Aang who would continue questioning Rory. Under Aang, the session went on without further incident. Although, Rory certainly gave far more subdued responses when asked to speak. Moving on, the question of further exploration into the Special Region would come up from attending members of the University of Coruscant. Their request would be granted. In the view of most of the Senators, researchers didn't cost a lot of money to satisfy, they just needed a lot of unknown things to be curious about. Eventually, the session came to an end with mainly the Republic increasing its military presence in the Special Region and further supplying aid to any refugees that would be encountered, although with some conditions.

* * *

At almost the same time the Senate session was ending, Mas Amedda and Yoda were also concluding their discussion with Pina and Bozes having gone into detail about what the Republic is, its military, who the Jedi are, and the impact the Uscru incident had and what needed to happen to ensure a peaceful compromise. They were ending off on the issue of prisoners the Republic had captured during the Uscru incident.

"6000 of your soldiers, we have. Release them if you consent to the Republic's requests, we will." Yoda stated.

Pina waited for a translation from Hoot, "S—Six thousand!" She said when he finished. She immediately questioned what the Republic would want in return.

Amedda would answer, "The Republic will accept monetary or material compensation in exchange for the prisoners but in a show of good faith, we will release four particular prisoners and the first five hundred to you without cost." He handed Pina a short handwritten list.

Pina understood that these prisoners being released was the Republic essentially asking for a favor and once Pina glanced who the four particular prisoners were on the list, she happily replied, "We accept your terms!"

Bozes would be shocked at the sudden approval from Pina noting that Pina didn't even know how much the Republic was truly asking for. She feared that Pina might have just unwittingly agreed to handing every last coin of the Empire's over to them. When she asked why Pina accepted the terms so easily, Pina would answer, "The four were the ones tasked by the Emperor to lead the expedition through the Gate."

"You mean?" Bozes said.

"Yes. Myui Formal will be quite happy to have her father back."

Amedda called back their attention and continued, "Good. We'll also give you the full list of prisoners. You can inform their families." He then handed Bozes a datapad containing the names.

While Bozes thumbed through the datapad in fascination due to both the names on the list and the fact that all that information fitted on a thin board, Pina would ask about how much should the Empire give for the rest of the prisoners. While Amedda would tell Bozes that she could keep the datapad and went on to explain its functions with Ray translating, Yoda would answer Pina about the amount of compensation wanted,

"Unknown for now. Still little we know of your world. To bankrupt you, not our intention it is."

Pina accepted the explanation but hesitated in asking more to the little green Master. Sensing her thoughts, Yoda said, "Wary of our intentions, you are. Naturally be suspicious given the environment you have been raised in, you would. Yes, hmm?"

She nodded slowly having been taken off guard in having her thoughts suddenly being brought out in the open.

"How did you—"

"A Jedi, I am, remember? Knight Deova, one you have already met." Yoda interrupted, "Your emotions in insisting to protect your Empire, open your thoughts to me they are."

"You can read my mind?"

"Yes and no. Emotions, powerful they are. Open the mind to us, they do."

While Pina wrapped her head around that, she decided to have some fun with it as she hid a hand under the table, "Well, Master Yoda, how many fingers am I holding up?" Hoot nearly lost it as he had to translate her question for Master Yoda.

Yoda was hardly phased by her question, "Strong is the Force, but for parlor tricks it is not."

She would be disappointed that he didn't give an answer but Yoda continued, "Genuine your intentions for peace are, but lingering doubts you have, hmm?

With that statement, she really believed he was reading her mind but while she did want peace, there were some things that bothered her.

"Master Yoda, I do want peace but, there are a _few_, maybe_ some_ people in the Empire who won't be easily swayed despite all the advantages you have."

"Yes, troublesome folk they are. Conflicted feelings you have for them, for your father and brother, and their ability to change. But faith. Faith and confidence you must have to change their way."

Feeling some confidence that the old Master had trust in her to convince people like her father, she bowed to him thanking him for his advice just as Amedda finished explaining what a datapad is to Bozes. Seeing that all matters have been resolved, Amedda declared the meeting over.

Upon leaving the meeting room, Pina and Bozes along with their escorts would see the rest of the group in the Senate hall and they would overhear Eila and Fordo having a short conversation.

"I'm returning to the Guard and I want to thank Senator Amidala for the supplies before she leaves" Fordo said.

"Alright, just be back when we return through the Gate." Eila said.

"Yes, General. I'll take my leave then." Fordo proceeded to salute to her, Wrench, and his men of RT3 before waving goodbye to Lelei, Tuka, and a saddened Rory.

Once Fordo disappeared from their sight, Eila would notice Pina and Bozes and would call to them to join the rest of the group.

"So," Eila began, "How was your meeting with Master Yoda and the Vice Chancellor?"

"It went well." Pina replied, "This is the first step to a peace between the Empire and the Republic."

"That's good to hear."

"How about your meeting with the Senate, General?"

Eila paused for a moment before answering, "It went better than I expected." She noted that at least Rory didn't act as rashly as she believed Rory would, "It seems many of the Senators and the Chancellor are agreeing to us having a larger presence in the Special Region."

Pina's mood swiftly changed to one of fear as she managed to squeak out if a 'larger presence' meant the Republic was going to push the Empire out of its way despite her earlier meeting with Master Yoda and the Vice Chancellor.

"No, no, no!" Eila tried to assure her, "Again, we're not going to take down the Empire. It looks like its just us having more supplies to explore the Special Region and to take care of any refugees we come across. The increase in supplies can also allow us to get rid of any pests."

"Pests? Do you mean the fire dragon you drove away?" Pina asked.

"Well, the fire dragon is one of them. We don't know of any other dangerous creatures that might be in the Special Region so we want to be prepared. But with the fire dragon, we want to bring it down so we can ensure the safety of not only our troopers, but also the civilians."

Before Pina could ask more questions, Eila would be approached by a Senate Commando and would inform her that she had to return to the Jedi Temple. After acknowledging the Commando, Eila asked Wrench to take care of their guests. Once Eila was gone, Wrench asked everyone to board an airspeeder transport that was going to take them to some fancy hotel meant for dignitaries. Wrench and the clones would accompany Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes to the hotel and Wrench would reluctantly accept that Crom and a few Senate Commandos also had to be with them too.

After boarding the airspeeder and once again their otherworldly guests being mesmerized by the Coruscant skyline, they would be settled into the hotel and would finally relax. While Wrench insisted that Crom stay outside as the guard he was meant to be along with the Commandos, Lelei would approach Wrench for a favor as he enjoyed the softness of the couch he sat on just like the other clones who were enjoying the amenities the hotel offered.

"Commander?" Lelei said.

Wrench would straighten himself before addressing her, "Yes! What is it, Ms. Lalena?"

"Commander, I would like one of your datapads with information on your sciences, history, and philosophy."

"A datapad? Sure, but why do you want one?"

"I wish to learn more about your civilization. Perhaps even incorporate it into my practices."

"Strange. I thought you were already learning about us back at the base and that quick little lesson you had earlier?"

"I simply seek more information. Your datapads seem to contain plenty of it."

Wrench would oblige Lelei by talking to Crom outside who would then hand him a datapad that he would turn over to her with it opened to the information she wanted. As Lelei began to read through the information with fascination and an intensity to commit everything to memory, Tuka would come next.

"Something wrong, Ms. Marceau?"

"Umm, Commander." She continued to fidget, "Can I also have that device you gave to Lelei?"

Wrench would pass another one to her as she mumbled on if there were any spells or good stories to see. He would be approached next by Pina and Bozes. Pina also wanted a datapad as well. While Wrench thought that Pina was probably interested in information like Lelei and Tuka, what he didn't know was that Bozes had figured out how to access the HoloNet and had come across the more _adult_ parts of the HoloNet that interested her greatly. She had decided to let Pina in on her interesting find.

Seeing that he was essentially catering to their guests' needs, Wrench would approach Rory who had decided to look out at the Coruscant skyline from the balcony.

"Do you need anything, Ms. Mercury?"

From Wrench's view, Rory seemed distant since the Senate session and it worried him when she didn't react to his question. He repeated his question and Rory turned to him in surprise.

"Oh, Commander."

"Well, do you need anything, Ms. Mercury?"

"No. No, Commander. I'm—I'm fine."

Wrench wasn't fooled. He instantly knew something was bothering her from her tone and her detached attitude. The attitude in particular was a noticeable indicator since Rory always acted eccentrically in his eyes. "Ms. Mercury, is there something bothering you?"

"No! No, Commander. There's nothing bothering me."

"Please, Ms. Mercury. Eila—the General, acts like you right now when somethings on her mind."

Rory attempted to make a retort but stopped herself before responding to him, "Commander. I don't mean to be rude or put you in an awkward position but…"

"Yes?"

"What do you know of your leader? The Supreme Chancellor?"

"Chancellor Palpatine? Why do you ask?"

"Please, just tell me what you know."

"I'm just a soldier, Ms. Mercury, not a politician or biographer but I do know that the Chancellor used to be a Senator from Naboo."

Rory noted that fact as she remembered that the current Senator for Naboo was a nice lady. She continued, "How did Chancellor Palpatine come to power? Did he have to fight to obtain his position?"

"I think you've hung out with us long enough that you should know that our leaders are elected or appointed. They don't get to where they are by killing off their rivals." Wrench said with some irritation as he thought that Rory still thought about them the same way she would think how leaders in the Empire are chosen.

Rory noticed the slight irritation in Wrench's answer and decided not to press further. She pondered about the questions she was about to ask Wrench and thought that they were likely to enrage the trooper given the kind of insinuations she was about to say regarding the Chancellor. "Thank you, Commander. I just wanted to know some things about the Chancellor. That's all."

Wrench sighed, "Look, if you want to know more about the Chancellor or anything about the Republic. Why not just go through this." Wrench handed her a datapad he had anticipated in getting ready.

Rory took the datapad and began browsing through it. "Thank you, Commander."

"Well, we do want you guys to enjoy your visit here. So have fun."

* * *

Having returned to the Jedi Temple after the few weeks in the Special Region, Eila had hoped to relax in meditation and try to find some inner peace for herself. Instead, she was reporting to the Jedi Council and essentially repeating everything that had been said in the Senate.

"After the battle, I brought the Princess and her associate back to the base for medical screening before our trip to the Senate." Eila concluded.

"I see. Hmm, when you return to the Special Region, you will be accompanied by members of the University of Coruscant. They wish to study the Special Region closely. Please give them appropriate accommodations."

"Yes, Master Windu."

The Council members gave their minor grunts and nods of approval before Master Windu declared the Council adjourned. After Eila bowed to the Masters and the Masters shuffled out of the Council Chamber or clocked off the holoprojector, Master Yoda called to her.

"Knight Deova. A moment, if you please."

"Yes, Master Yoda?"

"An opinion, I desire. Of the Force. What do you feel of the Force in the Special Region? Hardly mentioned, it was. Only your word that you felt its presence in the other world."

Eila paused for moment, thinking of a proper response before answering, "The Force, it feels…different over there, Master Yoda. The Force seems to, not flow, but feels like a wave over there. It feels 'wilder' than here."

Eila noted that she that whenever she did use the Force in the Special Region, it did seem more powerful than anytime she used it here. She was also informed that the Gate itself was surrounded strongly by the Force.

"Hmm. Wilder you say? Why your mind, troubled it is, hmm?" Yoda answered.

"Troubled? No, Master. Even though the Force feels different over there, I can still control it just as I would here."

"Implying that the Force over there unbalances you, I do not. Something else has troubled your mind."

Eila began thinking of her missing friend in that because of her priorities, she wasn't actively looking for her. It certainly did trouble Eila that she wasn't searching for Vania with her imagination running wild on the fate of her friend. She also thought of both the war in the Special Region and the Clone Wars. Eila pinned her hopes that Master Yoda's negotiation with Princess Pina would end the war in the Special Region, and while things were looking up for the war that people in the Republic had dubbed it a 'side war' to the more pressing Clone Wars, she wondered how much more death had to be thrown at both conflicts to truly stop them. The fighting hadn't really stopped in the Special Region. While large scale battles had certainly ended, the various recon teams had instead come into skirmishes with roaming bandits.

Yoda, sensing her feelings, gave his thoughts, "Be mindful of your thoughts. Remember to let go of what you fear to lose. For in this war, both wars, fear, hate, and suffering are constant companions we must shed. Now go. Rest, you must. Additional orders from the Chancellor, for you." Yoda handed Eila a datapad with the orders.

Eila bowed to Yoda and left the Council Chamber. Reaching her quarters, that had been unoccupied for months since she left for the Special Region at the same time she came back from Scipio, she brushed off a thin layer of dust on the bench and prepared it for her meditation with lit candles. Before taking the time to meditate, she thought about Master Yoda's words.

'_Let go of what I fear to lose? Give up on Vania? No, she's one of the missing people. I don't think I should give up. Something I fear to lose in both wars? Wrench? No, he can take care of himself._'

Shaking her head, not having gotten any closer to what Master Yoda truly meant, she began to also wonder about the public's response to the Senate session. Master Windu mentioned offhand that the reaction to the session had actually been quite tepid. The only strong reactions that came up were from the families of those who had a loved one who had gone missing or was killed during the Uscru incident. Mostly, those people wanted a more aggressive military response. Ultimately, Eila understood that the rather lukewarm response from everyone else was because first contact with alien races had long become a boring subject to the general public. First contacts tended to happen every couple of months and the only people who were interested were usually people from the University of Coruscant or the Order's own Exploration Corps who both studied alien races. Eila wondered why the Exploration Corps was not going to join the University of Coruscant as Windu had mentioned. She eventually came to the conclusion that it was likely because there was a more pressing need to have Jedi leading on the frontlines rather than chasing new discoveries. Pushing that thought aside, she quickly went over the datapad.

'_Take our visitors to my cruiser?_' Eila thought. '_View of our technological wonders?_' As she continued to scroll through the text, she then realized why the Chancellor wanted to take their guests onto her cruiser for some time in orbit with the Coruscant Home Defense Fleet. It was just like their return approach to the base at Alnus after Italica.

'_Another show of force, huh?_'


	8. Trip To The Heavens

In the Supreme Chancellor's office, Palpatine, already in his guise as Darth Sidious, waited a moment for a foreseen transmission from Count Dooku. Predictably, the holoprojector chimed and Dooku appeared before him.

"My Lord, our forces are in position for the operation. All that remains is your final approval, my Lord."

"Good. You may begin the operation, Lord Tyranus. Today, the Republic and the Jedi will know true fear."

* * *

Early morning on the next day after the hearing, the clones were the first awake and were enjoying the complimentary breakfast their lodgings had to offer. The clones happily passed around the various foods they had been given. Some, particularly Hoot, was happy to point out that the food they were being given was definitely much better than the slop they were usually served. He also mentioned the little trick Pina tried to pull on Yoda. The casual banter and laughter from the clones eventually woke up their guests. Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes joined the clones in partaking with the food. While they continued to eat, Lelei would ask Wrench on what were they going to do today.

"Commander, do we have an itinerary today?" Lelei asked.

"Hmm, I don't think we do. I think the plan was for us to just take a day off. What would you want to do today?" Wrench said.

"A visit to your library, perhaps."

"Well, that can be arranged. What about you guys?" Wrench said directing his final comment to Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes.

"We'll join you, Ms. Lalena!" Pina and Bozes seemed to both shout out at the same time which was immediately met with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

"O—Okay." Wrench said as he turned his attention to Rory, "Ms. Mercury? Maybe shopping or something?"

Rory shook her head, "I don't need any other clothes. My formal dress as a priestess is good enough for me." While Wrench would answer that she should go anyway because she might like it, Rory did feel tempted to go to the library as well. Her search for more information on Palpatine through the datapad didn't yield her the results she was hoping to find. It was just more stuff about how the humble Chancellor was dealing with the terrible war currently happening in the galaxy.

"And you, Tuka?"

"Hmm, I would like to see your 'shopping' places. I did like that formal suit I had to wear in your Senate." Tuka said.

Having heard the opinions he wanted, Wrench pestered their escort, Crom, to organize having half of RT3 go with Lelei, Pina, and Bozes to the library and the other half to go with Tuka and Rory, even if Rory was reluctant to go shopping. Wrench, Noah, Alloy, Ramius, and Crom and his Senate Commandos would go with Tuka and Rory while Fick, Ray, Hoot, Cabby, and Zipper would go with the rest.

Once they finally left for their separate destinations, Rory's opinion on shopping immediately changed as she forgot about the Chancellor and her earlier opinion on her clothing changed as well once she saw some pretty dresses. Some of the clothes even interested the clones in wondering what they would look like outside of their armor. Exposure to civilian life was a very rare thing among most clones. While Tuka and Rory tried every article of clothing they came across in the shopping district, Lelei immersed herself in the knowledge she was coming across in the local library they went to. While Pina and Bozes were also impressed with the knowledge they were coming across, they were saddened that a particular brand of fiction they had become familiar with seemed to be sparse. Upon finding little of the fiction she wanted, Pina looked into the history of the Republic and was both intrigued and startled at the numerous wars that have been fought over its 20,000 years in existence. She was also intrigued at the role the Jedi had played over those numerous wars with two competing narratives that the Jedi were both peacekeepers and warriors and that they were usually regularly blamed for them.

As she closed a holobook, Lelei turned to Cabby who was also thumbing through some of the books, "Trooper Cabby?"

"Yes, Ms. Lalena?"

"I have seen some references to the Jedi Archives. They refer to the Archives as the greatest repository of knowledge in your galaxy. How may I gain access to the Archives?"

"Hmm, I think you have to be a Jedi to see the Archives."

"Oh, a pity. Perhaps I could ask the General if her Order will allow a special permission."

"Feel free to try." Cabby chuckled until his holoprojector went off.

At the same time Cabby was receiving a transmission, the other clones received the same transmission. Eila appeared before them and even with her limited view through the holoprojector, a smile developed on her face as she saw her men having just as much fun as their guests were having of either looking though books or trying on clothes. Although, she felt rather perplexed when Wrench answered his holoprojector in a nice suit. Quickly composing herself, she addressed her men,

"Sorry to interrupt but all of you, along with our guests are to report to the staging area. The Chancellor wants our guests to experience space before we go back. See you all soon."

Once the transmission ended, Lelei, who had eavesdropped on the conversation said, "Looks like I will be able to make my request in short order."

* * *

Arriving in two separate transports, the clones, Crom and his Senate Commandos, and their guests exited into the embarkation area of the docks. Pina's eyes widened at the sight of numerous Venator-class Star Destroyers being resupplied or taking off. She shuddered at the sight of the massive ships passing overhead and making their way into space. Her tension was put at some ease when she and the group approached Eila who was waiting by a gangway that led into a Venator waiting at the dock.

"Welcome to the staging area. As you can see, this is where our navy is maintained and resupplied." Eila said, addressing the people unfamiliar with what they were seeing.

"General," Wrench said as he and the other men saluted her, "Why are we really here?"

"The Chancellor sees that it's a good idea to expose our guests to 'our technological wonders' so, we're taking our ship up and we're just going to stick around with the Coruscant Home Defense Fleet."

Lelei's eyes sparkled at the sound of having the chance to go into space and said, "A trip to the heavens. When do we leave?"

"Yes!" Rory exclaimed, "When do we get away from the ground and into the heavens?"

Rory was excited at the idea of being really far away from Hardy, the goddess of the underworld, and away from her reach.

"At least the two of you seems excited." Eila said as she observed that Tuka, Pina, and Bozes looking apprehensive at the sight of a Venator.

Eila looked over with small tinge of disappointment to Crom and said, "I guess you'll be joining us too?"

"Of course, General."

Seeing that Crom's presence is unavoidable, Eila waved to the group and said, "Well, come aboard."

As the group made their way onto the gangway and began walking towards the ship, Lelei came by Eila and asked her about the Jedi Archives.

"Access?" Eila pondered, "Sorry to say though but the Archives aren't really open to the public."

"Unfortunate and bizarre." Lelei said as they entered into the halls of the ship, "May I ask why? Your Archives are the largest repository of knowledge in the galaxy. Why are they closed off from the public?"

"It's just a matter of some information being a bit…complicated. Whatever regular knowledge the Archives have, they can already be found in any other library."

"What makes the other information, complicated?"

Eila sighed, "Well, some of the information contains schematics of dangerous super weapons that have been banned throughout the galaxy. Others are specifically concerning Jedi and can _only_ be seen by Jedi. And then theirs the Sith…"

"The Sith?"

"Oh, maybe another time." Eila concluded as the group entered the corridors of the ship and made their way to an elevator to the bridge. A quick ride up the elevator, the group entered the command bridge. They were greeted by a non-clone Republic officer.

"Oh, welcome back General Deova, Commander Wrench. The crew was starting to become concerned that we would be reassigned." The officer said.

"Unfortunately, Captain Hawkins, reassignment is still likely; we're only really here to give our guests a show of the Home Fleet. Continued operations in the Special Region means me and Wrench are unlikely to come back for the Outer Rim Sieges at the moment." Eila said and directing Hawkins' attention to the group with her.

Hawkins was saddened by the news but maintained a professional demeanor as he saluted the guests, "Welcome aboard the Republic warship, _Eternal_. I am Captain Silas Hawkins. You must be the guests from the Special Region. I was able to watch the Senate session the other day. Welcome to the Republic."

Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes bowed to acknowledge Hawkins' greeting. Hawkins turned back to Eila, "Shall we get underway then, General?"

Eila nodded in approval. Hawkins then turned his attention to the command crew, "Ops, do we have takeoff clearance?"

"Tower has cleared us, Captain!" A clone officer called.

"Good. Disengage landing clamps and struts. Ready atmospheric thrusters and sublight engines."

A low rumble startled Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes as the engines started and the ship began to lift off while Lelei looked out a window to see the ground slowly pulling away.

"Clamps disengaged and struts retracted, sir!" Another clone officer hollered.

"Thrusters and sublight engines ready, sir!" A final clone officer declared.

Hawkins nodded to the officers and said, "Alright, take us up."

* * *

After a short ascent into space, the _Eternal_ joined the rest of the Coruscant Home Defense Fleet formation. Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes looked out to both the massive fleet in orbit and the shimmering planet below. Lelei had already pulled herself away from the sights and was already asking Hawkins about the specifications of a Venator-class Star Destroyer. Hawkins decided to direct her to their engineer on the bridge where he could answer her questions. While Lelei moved away from the rest of the group, Wrench and the other clones opted to go to the hangar bay or commissary and greet some of their brothers who hadn't been able to join them in the Special Region. To Eila's joy, Crom and the Senate commandos he brought with him, had remained silent since they boarded the ship and simply kept an eye on their guests. Once the clones left, Eila came up behind Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes and commented on the view they were seeing.

"Very nice, isn't it?" Eila began.

Startling the group, Pina spoke first, "General! Your navy is quite impressive! I can't even count how many ships are out there. I lose my place too quickly." Bozes would nod with her.

"It certainly is, but this being, for all of you, your first trip to the 'heavens'. How do you feel about seeing the stars like this?"

Tuka managed to say, 'beautiful' as she continued to gaze at the stars. Rory smirked and said, "What she said." Rory's suspicions of the Chancellor further slipped from her mind due to the spectacle she was seeing and feeling the smug satisfaction that she was untouchable from Hardy. Eila smiled that they were at least enjoying this 'show of force'.

As the others continued to gaze, Pina would ask Eila to talk privately with her. Once they were alone, Pina started first, "General, I understand why we're on your ship. This is a demonstration of the Republic's resolve. A message that if we don't take your offer seriously, we could see these ships in our skies. I will try to make it clear to my fath—the Emperor, that we pursue peace."

Eila sighed, "Yes, the Supreme Chancellor just wanted to make it clear."

Pina noticed that Eila was disappointed in her own answer, "Is something wrong, General?"

"No, no. It's just that I had already believed we had made our intentions clear. What were doing now just seems excessive."

"But what you're doing is…"

"I know. I'm following the orders of the Chancellor." Eila said while also thinking, '_Even though I should be following the Order._'

Eila continued, "But I do also want to make this trip interesting for you. It's why I asked about how you felt about seeing the stars from this angle."

Pina smiled as she would say, "Well, to be flying into the heavens and seeing the stars from here, unobstructed by the clouds or moonlight and even not seeing the gods up here, it is interesting."

The two would be interrupted when a clone officer approached Eila with an issue. "General," the clone began, "Captain Hawkins would like a word."

Eila nodded to Pina and walked over to Hawkins who was in one of the sunken pits next to the sensor officer.

"What's wrong, Hawkins?" Eila said.

"I'm unsure, General. The sensors appears to be detecting an overall increase in Cronau radiation off starboard but we don't have any incoming or outgoing ships scheduled today."

Eila pondered over the issue until she felt someone wrap their arms around her. It was Rory and with a lick of her lips, she whispered to Eila, "I smell blood."

At the same time Rory made herself known, Eila also felt a tremor in the Force and upon feeling it, she turned to Hawkins and ordered, "Raise shields. Prepare for battle."

"General?"

After Hawkins gave his puzzled response, Bozes would call out to both Hawkins and Eila. "General, Captain, look!" She shouted.

Hawkins and Eila rushed next to the viewport Bozes was staring out of and Hawkins was shocked to see a Providence-class dreadnought ram itself into a Venator and splitting the ship in two.

"T—The _I—Impavid_!" Hawkins managed to choke out. Eila grabbed Hawkins by the shoulder, shook him a bit, and repeated her order to ready for battle.

Snapping out of his shock, Hawkins barked out orders. "Raise shields! All hands to battlestations! Repeat, all hands to battlestations! All pilots to the hangar deck!"

A flurry of activity consumed the bridge as the viewport was suddenly filled with Separatist warships coming out of hyperspace. Some unlucky ships for both the Republic and Separatists met the same fate as the _Impavid_. The once serene view everyone was enjoying earlier was immediately filled with turbolaser fire, explosions, and wreckage. The ship likewise had sporadic vibrations as the shields strained under heavy turbolaser fire from approaching Providence and Munificent-class ships.

"Crom!" Eila yelled to the man who was likewise shocked that the Separatists were attacking the heart of the Republic, "Take our guests into a life pod and find a shelter on the surface!"

A wide eyed Crom followed Eila's orders and asked their guests to follow him. Eila could hardly hear Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Pina, and Bozes call out to her as they were escorted off the bridge since she was now fixated on the battle unfolding before her.

"Commander Salima has ordered defensive formation seven and has called for reinforcements!" A clone officer called.

"Alright, take us to 219-mark-47! Target the Munificent and Providence-class off our starboard bow! Forward guns, open fire!" Eila ordered.

At the same time, Hawkins also gave tactical orders, "Load all proton torpedo tubes! Target the Recusant-class attacking the _Herald_! Fire when ready! Launch all fighters immediately! They are to intercept all enemy craft!"

"General Tiin is approaching with fighters from the surface!" Another clone officer called.

* * *

Making their way through the crowds of clone troopers and crew rushing to their stations, Bozes would pester Crom on what was happening out of concern for Pina's safety.

"Mr. Crom!" Bozes shouted to him again, "Who is attacking the Republic fleet and where are we going?"

"Separatists! It's the Separatists! You were informed about them, right? And you heard the Jedi back there, we're heading for the escape pods!"

"Yes, but how are they attacking the capital?"

Crom's frustration was growing as he had also yet to find the escape pods, "How should I know?!"

"You are with Republic Intelligence, correct Mr. Crom? Is it possible this was unforeseen?" Lelei would say in her usual monotone.

Taking the hit to his pride, Crom stammered, "Y—Yes! S—Someone else at Intelligence, I'm sure, screwed up!"

As they continued to run through the halls of the ship, the ship suddenly shook violently throwing them off their feet. Once the shaking stopped and they got themselves back up, Hawkins' voice over the intercom sounded out all over the ship stating, "Security teams to decks 1 thru 6! Sections 12 to 20 have been breached! Prepare to repel boarders! Damage control teams to the hangar deck!"

Seeing a group of armed clones change directions as soon as they heard the order, Rory saw this as an opportunity and ran after the clones looking for a fight. Crom would call out to her in vain as Rory quickly disappeared down the corridor.

"Dammit! What is that girl doing?!" Crom yelled.

"She is looking for a fight," Lelei answered, "I will follow her."

Crom grabbed Lelei by the arm, protesting her decision. Lelei yanked her arm away from his grip and declared before walking off, "I will not leave Rory!"

Seeing Tuka also walk off with Lelei, an exasperated Crom turned to the Senate Commandos with him and ordered them to follow and guard Lelei and Tuka.

Crom turned to Pina and Bozes who hadn't left like the others, "Well, Princess? Will you go to the escape pods with me?" In Crom's mind, he was really hoping the Princess and her attendant would evacuate to the surface. Pina's response would dash his hopes.

"I wish to bear witness." Pina said.

"What?!"

"I wish to bear witness to your war."

"Princess! It's too dangerous!" Bozes protested.

"I concur." Crom said. Crom really wished he could force the Princess at blaster point to comply with his demands but then it might sour the diplomatic relationship.

"Besides Princess, why do you need to see our war?" Crom continued, "As your attendant said, it's too dangerous."

"It seems irrational but, seeing your war is a learning experience for me."

"War isn't a school, Princess!" Crom yelled.

"For me it is!" Pina insisted, "How can I help the Empire when I know nothing about how other nations handle crises?! All we've ever done is try to hit something as hard as we can when we didn't understand it!"

Crom gave a frustrated sigh and said to Pina, "Fine! We'll go after the girls but both of you stay with me. Any of you winding up dead is a problem."

'_Particularly for me!_' Crom thought as he led Pina and Bozes.

While Crom with Pina and Bozes lagged behind, Rory quickly made it to one of the compromised sections where clone troopers were battling a combination of regular B1 Battle Droids and B2 Super Battle Droids in the corridors. The droids had infiltrated the ship when numerous landing pods punctured the hull. Licking her lips at sight of a battle, Rory sprinted into a column of B1 Battle Droids. Even though her halberd didn't cut droids in the same way as living beings, the sheer brute force Rory made swinging it around shut the droids down all the same. Having learned from her fight with Fordo and with some help from the droids' pitiful aim, it made it easy for her to dodge blaster fire. As Rory continued to smash the hapless B1s, she didn't notice that Wrench and RT3 were also in the corridors fighting off the droids.

"Sir!" Fick shouted to Wrench.

"What is it?" Wrench said back.

"Isn't that Ms. Mercury?" Fick would point Wrench to Rory's direction who was happily laughing at the slaughter she was creating.

Seeing that Rory was taking on the droids alone, Wrench gave his order to Fick, Noah, and Alloy, "Give her some cover!"

The clones moved to cover Rory's flank as she slammed another B1 against the wall. After swatting the last B1 aside, Rory dove into a column of Super Battle Droids, reacting too quickly for Fick, Noah, and Alloy to catch up. Rory slammed the first Super Battle Droid against the wall and readied to attack another, a technique she believed was working since the B1s stopped moving when she did it. Unfortunately, for her, B2s aren't called 'Supers' by clones lightly.

"Look out!" Fick yelled to Rory.

Rory turned having heard him but realized too late that the B2 she had dealt with earlier was still functional and had turned its wrist blaster on her. From that point, Rory only remembered seeing red flashes and the agonizing pain that came with it. She couldn't believe it as she fell to the ground screaming.

'_P—Pain! Pain after all this time!_' She thought as a searing pain surged through her.

"Ms. Mercury's down!" Fick reported to Wrench.

"Down? She's been hit?" Wrench said, not quite believing it as well.

"Yes, sir!"

Responding quickly, Wrench turned to Ramius and ordered him to Rory's position. Once Ramius reached Fick, Noah, and Alloy, they had just finished throwing 'droid poppers' that shut the column of B2s down for good. Advancing to Rory, Ramius could see that she had suffered severe blaster wounds to her torso and arms. As Ramius picked her up to bring her to a safer location to treat her and Noah and Alloy, with some difficulty, carrying her halberd, Ramius could hear her mumbling.

"I—It's not h—healing. W—Why? Demigods don't die. We can't die. I—I _can't_ die." Rory mumbled in her delirium before falling unconscious.

"Droids!" Fick called as the once cleared corridor again had more droids marching through it, "You got her?" He called to Ramius.

Ramius nodded and the clones made a fighting retreat to the rest of their comrades. Once Noah and Alloy dropped her halberd on the floor and returned to the fight and Ramius was in relative safety to treat Rory, he could see that the wounds were healing very slowly to the point that Ramius had to stare at the wound intently to see any movement of it closing. Before Ramius could prepare a bacta treatment for the healing process, Lelei came around the corner of the corridor.

Alarmed at the sight of an injured Rory, Lelei asked Ramius, "What happened to her?"

"She was shot by a battle droid." Ramius said and would notice that the usually calm, almost expressionless Lelei, looked shocked that Rory was hurt.

"What treatment will you give her?"

"Some bacta. It looks like the wounds are healing on their own. This will speed it up." Ramius explained as he placed small bacta infused bandages over the blaster wounds. While he continued to patch up Rory, he asked Lelei what she was doing here.

"I could not leave Rory. But I also wish to help." She said.

"What kind of help do want to give?"

"This kind." Lelei said as she advanced down a corridor that was about to be overwhelmed with droids. Muttering a spell, a barrier formed that stopped the blaster bolts from the droids. Lelei winced and poured more magic into her spell to keep the bolts from penetrating the barrier. Some of the clones looked in amazement at the sudden barrier that came up. Despite her effort, Lelei could tell this was something she couldn't keep up for very long.

Soon enough, Tuka and the squad of Senate Commandos also came around the corridor. Seeing what Lelei was doing, Tuka also cast a barrier spell down another corridor to stall the droids and likewise, felt the same strain Lelei was feeling.

Taking this as an opportunity, Wrench ordered his men to start gathering the wounded and fall back to a more defensible position. Troopers hurried to drag their wounded brothers out while others waited by Tuka and Lelei, ready to throw droid poppers as soon as they lowered their barriers.

Once the wounded, including Rory, had been pulled back, Wrench asked Tuka and Lelei to stop their spells. As soon as the barriers dropped, droid poppers were rolled towards the columns of incoming droids. Pulling the last of his troopers out, Wrench contacted an operations officer.

"Close off deck 4, section 23." Wrench ordered and the blast doors quickly closed. A duo of clones began welding the door shut. Taking a breather, Fick would approach him.

"The droids aren't making any sense, sir." Fick panted.

"I know. There's so many of them and yet they're not pressing the attack to take any of the vital areas like engineering, the bridge, or even the hangar deck. They seem content on sticking around on this deck and just bleeding us dry."

"A distraction, perhaps?"

"A distraction from what, then?"

While Wrench and Fick continued discussing about the droids' strange strategy, the rest of RT3 would gather around Rory who was also with Tuka and Lelei.

"How's the little lady?" Ray asked.

"Unconscious but well on the way to recovery." Ramius answered as he peeked under one of the bandages and could see that the blaster wound was closing up nicely.

"Hey, Ray, you do know that if _she_ heard you call her a 'little lady', she'd rip _more_ than your throat out!" Hoot snickered.

The troopers groaned at Hoot and Ray answered, "Of all the times to joke, you chose _this_?!"

"What? Tense situation? Just looking to lighten the mood from our possible deaths."

While the others didn't respond to Hoot's comment, Crom, Pina, and Bozes finally caught up. As Crom went to Wrench to learn of the situation, Pina looked around her and was quite shocked at the sight of clone troopers who had cut through their armies like a sickle were instead exhausted and beaten.

"Princess," Bozes whispered to her, "It looks like the Republic isn't so invincible."

"They never claimed to be, Bozes. They're just stronger than us and we must learn from them as such."

"Would it not make more sense to learn from the Separatists, if they're able to hurt the Republic like this?"

Pina's face contorted in anger but continued to whisper to Bozes, "Purge those thoughts, right now! It's rather rude to sympathize for the Separatists in the presence of the Republic's soldiers!"

"I—I didn't mean any disrespect, Princess. But we do want to make the Empire strong, don't we? Why not learn from multiple sources?"

"For one thing, the Republic isn't willing to open a dialogue with the Confederacy again. There have been attempts made by Senator Amidala who we met yesterday and they have all failed miserably. Second, from what I've read, the Confederacy fights exactly like how the Republic does, just with machine soldiers. And third, the Republic has been gracious and accommodating to our presence. Would you rather have soulless machines marching through the Empire or flesh and blood soldiers who can be reasoned with?"

As Bozes contemplated Pina's reasoning, they would both be shocked as soon as they caught of glimpse of Rory. Ramius would explain to the two that Rory was shot by a battle droid. Pina was disturbed by the revelation as she had believed that Apostles were practically invincible but realizing her own words that the Republic also wasn't invincible, she started to consider keeping an open mind from now on. While they both continued to look around the room, Wrench would question why Crom brought their guests to a battle.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Crom? Why did you bring our guests here?" Wrench chastised him.

"Commander, the Princess insisted. She believed this can be a learning experience and that girl," Crom pointed at Rory, "Ran off by herself."

Wrench sighed and said, "Stubborn, I see. Well, I'm pretty sure the General ordered them off this ship. Now follow orders and get them out. We don't need anymore of them getting hurt."

Just as Crom was about to walk off and carry out the order, another violent vibration shook the ship. As everyone climbed back onto their feet, the chief engineer came over the intercom.

"This is engineering. We are taking over control of the ship. Both bridges have been hit. Repeat: both bridges have been hit. We are assuming control over the ship's functions"

While nobody could see his face because of his helmet, Wrench was horrified as he whimpered Eila's name.

* * *

On the ground, Fordo was on his comlink addressing the situation to any commanders nearby.

"Sector Four needs reinforcements. We are being overrun. Repeat: we ar—"

Fordo turned to see Super Battle Droids cresting the pile of rubble his troopers had been using for cover. Reacting quickly, he blasted one of the droids and then used the butt of his rifle to smack another one down and fired at the downed droid too. Seeing another droid approach him, Fordo threw his rifle at the droid and downed it with his sidearm. Seeing more droids crest the pile, he grabbed the rifle from a fallen trooper and began firing at the enemy with both weapons.

"Fall back! Fall back! Fall back!" He ordered as more battle droids advanced. To the relief of him and his men, General Yoda jumped in front of them and began carving the droids up as he called for them to maintain positions.

Seeing General Yoda in the fight caused a surge in morale as Fordo and his men also charged at the droids and began pushing them back. As the battle continued and General Windu making his presence known by crashing a commandeered droid fighter into the enemy formations, Fordo wondered how everyone else was faring in the battle as he blasted another droid to pieces.

* * *

_Author's Note_: Well, they didn't go to Kamino. Sorry.


	9. Aftermath

"Enemy bombers at point 4!"

"Back up the _Endeavor_! It's shields are down!"

"Get this tri-fighter off me!"

Hearing the various pilots call out on the comms, Eila directed additional orders to support them. Hawkins would eventually call her attention, looking nervous.

"General."

"Yes?"

"Our situation is highly precarious. General Grievous' personal flagship, the _Invisible Hand_, has bolstered the enemy's morale, our ship is infested with droids, and is taking a beating. We can't maintain operations like this."

"I know. But Commander Salima has ordered us to contain them. Prevent their escape into hyperspace. Command has also called for reinforcements. The fleet shouldn't be alone for much longer. Our troopers are also doing their best to contain the intruders."

Before Hawkins could respond with a recommendation to exit the battle, one of the officers called out, "General! We're getting swarmed! The fighters can't take all the droid fighters down and our cannons can't target them all!"

"Intensify the forward batteries! Don't let them…"

"General!" Hawkins yelled out.

Before she could turn to see what Hawkins was trying to turn her attention to, Eila felt herself getting knocked down by Hawkins before everything went black. Recalling the last moment, she remembered Hawkins' call before seeing for a split second, just before being completely tackled, what she thought was a damaged Vulture droid heading for the bridge.

For some time, Eila remained unconscious until the ship jolted from another impact. Opening her eyes and coughing up some dust, she tried to get up from the floor before feeling something heavy on top of her. Looking down, she was saddened to see Hawkins with his eyes wide open and large pieces of metal sticking out of his back. He had tried to protect her. Gently moving his body aside, she was surprised to see that the front of the bridge was now exposed to space. Luckily for her and the surviving bridge crew, emergency force fields had stopped them all from getting spaced.

One of the clone officers came to her and moved some minor debris off of her. "Are you alright, General?" The officer questioned as he stretched out his hand to pick her up.

"Y—Yes, Lieutenant." She weakly said as the officer pulled her up. But she yelped in pain as soon as she got up and almost fell back down but the officer kept her steady. She noticed that she had a sizeable shard of metal embedded in her right thigh and she was covered in little metal fragments causing varying degrees of lacerations.

"General!" The officer said as he quickly tried to prop her up.

"I—It's okay." She told the officer as she let go of him to stand on her own, "Status?"

"Engineering has assumed control over the ships functions. Both bridges have suffered heavy damage."

Eila managed to limp her way to a window and looked over to the bridge next to them. It was in worse shape with most of it gone. She did feel some relief as she could see that some of the people on the starfighter command bridge had survived, seeing the few of them left evacuate.

The officer continued his report, "Shields are down to 30% and 80% of our weapons are now inoperable. The sublight engines have also been damaged. And main power is fluctuating making it difficult to sustain the ship's operations."

Eila looked on at the raging space battle as she saw another Separatist ship ram another Venator and explode nearby. Seeing that the ship was unlikely to survive the rest of the battle as most of the ship was on fire and the turbolaser turrets she could see had their barrels warped from damage, she reluctantly gave the order, "Abandon ship."

Complying with her order, the clone officer moved to the comm system and relayed the order, "Attention all personnel, abandon ship. Repeat: abandon ship. All personnel to the life pods."

The remaining bridge crew quickly shuffled out and an evacuation alarm began to sound. Feeling that the ship should at least fall defiantly and wanting to return the favor the Separatists had been doing with Republic ships since the battle began, Eila quickly limped over to the comm system and called engineering.

"Is there anyone left in engineering?"

"General?" It was the chief engineer, "It's good to hear you're safe. What is it?"

"Chief, do you still have sensors and helm control?"

"Partially. Why?"

"Are there any nearby enemy ships that our damaged engines can take us to at full speed?"

"Uhh, yes. There's a Lucrehulk-class battleship port side. Why do you ask?"

"I'm taking a page out of Skywalker's book. Concentrate all power to the forward shields and boost the engines."

The chief engineer then understood what Eila wanted, "Yes, ma'am…and done. I'll take my leave then." The engineer concluded as he adjusted some settings.

Back on the bridge, Eila thanked the engineer, moved to the exit, and looked back at what was left of the bridge. She looked over at Hawkins and some of the dead crew. She regretted not being able to at least gather the bodies and bring them home but unfortunately, regardless of her order to ram a Lucrehulk, the ship didn't have much time left anyway. There were still other Separatist ships taking their shots at the ship as well. Taking one final glace, the clone officer had waited to help her make it to an escape pod just as the Lucrehulk began firing on the ship knowing what was coming.

* * *

On deck 4, after explaining the situation further to Crom, Wrench began to walk off to get to the bridge.

"Commander? Commander!" Fick called.

"What is it!?" Wrench snapped.

Though somewhat shocked at his response, Fick continued, "Sir, what are your orders?"

Wrench stopped where he was and had a look around. Most of the injured troopers had been stabilized by Ramius and some of the more serious ones were being tended to by Lelei and Tuka, judging from the blue auras surrounding the injured troopers they were dealing with. He was impressed that some of the clones Lelei and Tuka had treated with magic were already able to walk around by themselves and were eager to get back into the fight. Pina and Bozes were also taking the initiative in helping carry a wounded clone out. Rory was also looking better than she did earlier but was still unconscious. Even though there were still bigger concerns, Wrench was determined to know what had happened on the bridge.

"Sit tight." He ordered, "I need to check the situation on the bridge."

Before he could walk off again though, sparks began to fly from the blast doors that were shut earlier. The men and Lelei, Tuka, Bozes, and Pina scrambled to evacuate the wounded as Wrench returned with RT3 and a few other clones taking up defensive positions in the corridor. The men readied their blasters as the droids completed cutting into the door. Once the sparks stopped and the section of blast door fell to the ground, the clones began firing into the opening. A few droids fell through having been shot but soon enough, thermal detonators came rolling out of the opening.

"Detonators!" Noah yelled as he and the others quickly ran away. The resulting explosions gave enough time for more battle droids to come pouring out of the opening. A few of the clones and even the Senate Commandos who had also decided to join the fight were started to get gunned down as more droids continued coming out of the opening.

"Pull back! Pull back!" Wrench ordered.

The men slowly retreated as the droids continued their onslaught. Pina, who was helping Bozes carry a clone out on a stretcher, was getting tired of being shot at while they were fleeing. Stopping for a moment and grabbing the injured clone's DC-15S, Pina began firing with her free hand as she fled down the corridor with Bozes. Despite being new to the concept of blasters, some of her shots were able to hit some of the droids dead on.

"Hey, hey!" Hoot happily called, "The lady knows how to shoot!"

"Shut up and keep blasting!" Ray cried as he riddled another droid.

While the fighting continued, a voice came over the intercom, "Attention all personnel, abandon ship. Repeat: abandon ship. All personnel to the life pods." An alarm soon accompanied the order.

"Are they serious?" Zipper said, "We're not about to give up the ship are we?"

Wrench began to think that the order to abandon ship would have come from someone with high authority. '_Maybe she's alive_.' He thought. He then gave an order, "You heard it. We're abandoning ship. Let's go!"

The clones disengaged and began running for the escape pods under a hail of blaster fire. A few would unfortunately be shot in the back as they ran. There wasn't enough time to check if they were just injured. But, after turning a few corridors, they had finally ditched the droids but no one was really slowing down as the ship was increasingly shaking more violently than before and the interior lights flickered wildly. To the clones, it was an indicator that the ship was about to be destroyed. Reaching the pods, Wrench waited as groups of clones entered and launched their pods. Once the trickle of clones stopped, Wrench entered the last pod with their guests, RT3, and Crom with the remaining Senate Commandos. Rory had already been loaded and launched in another pod since she wouldn't fit in theirs. Launching the pod and managing to gain distance from the ship, Wrench had one last look at the _Eternal_ slam into a Lucrehulk with both ships giving a spectacular explosion.

Wrench wasn't quite sure where to go next as the space battle they entered was even more chaotic than on the ship. ARC-170s, V-Wings, Vulture and droid tri-fighters swarmed the surrounding space vying for dominance. The group even saw a couple of pods get taken out by droid fighters that were just passing by to be driven off too late by the 170s or V-Wings. Some pods even received some '_wonderful_' treatment from Buzz Droids. The desperate pleas from the occupants of those pods to not be fired upon only to explode in a bloom of debris or begging for help as the Buzz Droids cut into the pod, rattled their guests. Dying in the vacuum of space was a new mode of possible death to them. Eventually, a voice came over the comm asking all the surviving pods from the _Eternal_ to rendezvous with the _Intrepid_ which had been damaged but was exiting the battle.

Escaping the various dangers of the battle and landing in the _Intrepid's_ hangar deck, Wrench, RT3, Crom, and the Senate Commandos came out without showing any body language that indicated they were gloomy over the battle. Although, they had grim faces behind their helmets at the loss of their ship and brothers with Crom dwelling on how could Coruscant be under attack. In contrast, Lelei, Tuka, Bozes, and Pina walked out of pod shaking. It was the first time any of them had experienced a modern war, let alone a space battle, with cramped quarters and loud explosions. Trying to shake off their shock, the four of them made their way to the other pod that took in Rory. At least Lelei and Tuka were relieved to see that her pod had escaped the enemy fighters and Buzz Droids and that Rory was awake but still lying on the stretcher.

Despite her wounds being completely healed, Rory only managed a weak hello to them as she still felt some residual pain from the blaster shots. Ramius eventually came behind them and asked that Rory and their guests go to the medical bay. While Crom and his Commandos would also join their guests to the medical bay, Wrench began asking around if anyone had seen Eila. To his relief, one of the hangar crew would direct him to one of the other pods where he would see Eila being tended to by a medic who was wrapping a bandage around her leg. She was also pulling the metal fragments out of her using the Force and placing a bandage over the cuts.

"Ei—General!" He called as he approached, "Are you alright?"

"Wrench!" She said, "I'm glad you made it off the ship. I'm alright but I think I'm not going to be walking for now." The medic wrapping the bandage would nod at her statement.

"How did—I heard that the bridge was hit."

Eila voice grew solemnly as she would tell him, "Yeah. I was lucky, I guess. Hawkins didn't make it. He died protecting me."

Wrench bowed his head as he lamented on the loss of a fine officer. Hawkins had been assigned to them ever since Krell was in charge and he was always reliable. For Wrench, Hawkins remained reliable right up to the end. Before he could speak again though, the ship wide comms passed on some information.

"The Open Circle Fleet has arrived. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker have joined the battle."

Once the comms cut out, Wrench questioned what were they going to do now. Eila answered, "We're done. Generals Kenobi and Skywalker have taken command of the Home Fleet. They'll be the ones to rescue the Chancellor."

"What? Chancellor Palpatine was kidnapped?"

"Yeah. General Windu apprised all naval and Jedi officers of the situation when I was in the pod. General Grievous apparently captured the Chancellor in his private bunker."

Wrench slowly began to realize why the droids had only chosen to delay them back on the _Eternal_. It was to draw attention away from their abduction of the Chancellor.

"Shouldn't we do something?" He asked wanting to help in the rescue.

"Like what? This ship is damaged and all of its fighters have been launched."

Wrench tried to think of an alternative but Eila repeated, "We're done."

* * *

The Battle of Coruscant would last for the rest of the day but it would be a resounding victory for the Republic as Chancellor Palpatine would be rescued by Generals Kenobi and Skywalker and most of the invading Separatist fleet was now floating wreckage being cleaned up by salvage crews in orbit. In the opinion of some of the naval commanders though, Kenobi and Skywalker took all the credit for the battle while their contribution was quietly pushed aside. Despite that bit of jealousy, there was also the added bonus of Count Dooku being killed by Anakin Skywalker. This detail raised the spirits for plenty of people who took it as a sign that the war was coming to a close. Although, among the clones and Jedi, they knew the war wouldn't end until General Grievous was also taken out as well.

Once they were planet-side, Eila looked over the after action report on the battle and she shifted uncomfortably in her hospital bed. The new bandages the doctor put on to replace the old ones were chaffing the hell out of her skin. Despite a massive invasion, the Separatists actually hadn't gone to the Uscru district so the Gate was unaffected from the battle. Even the Jedi Temple had escaped unscathed. The Separatists had instead focused all their efforts on the Senate, Financial, and Residential districts in their effort to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. Putting the report aside and hoping to get some sleep without scratching at her leg, Wrench knocked on the door.

"Come in." Eila responded.

"General." Wrench said as the door shut behind him, "How are you feeling?"

"Better actually." She said while scratching at her leg, "Dammit." She immediately stopped.

Wrench gave a small laugh as he removed his helmet, "Heh. Itchy bandages? I've been there before."

"Yeah. It wasn't too long ago when it wasn't like this." Eila said, referring to a time when it was Wrench on a hospital bed and her visiting. "How's our guests?"

"They're alright. Doctors gave the others the once over and Rory was already up and about once we got planet-side. She was complaining about some pain but the doctor was more interested in how quickly she healed. We managed to stop Rory from assaulting him when he insisted on examining her." Wrench gave another small laugh before his face softened.

"Eila," He began, "What happened today—When the bridge got hit, I…"

Sensing his emotions, Eila stopped him and took hold of his hand. "Wrench. It's okay. I'm fine. We'll make it to the end."

He smiled back at her and began thinking of what the end of the war might look like for him and his brothers because of the news on Count Dooku's death. He thought optimistically that maybe, he'll be discharged from the Army and be allowed a to pursue a regular job. Have all the liberties a Republic citizen enjoys. He was also optimistic that even if he wasn't allowed out of the military, he could at least be some desk jockey or be a maintenance engineer. He didn't want to be on the frontlines forever. Unfortunately for Wrench, he was conveniently ignoring the fact that the clone army is considered property in the eyes of the Republic and that for both of them, things weren't going to turn out the way they had hoped.

* * *

In the Supreme Chancellor's Office, Crom was finalizing his report to the both the Vice Chancellor and the Supreme Chancellor as he finished saying, "We entered an escape pod and made for the _Intrepid_. From then on, we simply watched the battle unfold while the Jedi rescued you, Chancellor."

"Thank you, Agent Crom, but it seems the Intelligence's suspicions about General Deova were unfounded." Palpatine said.

"Y—Yes, Chancellor. General Deova is not a Separatist agent. She did not conspire with her Master or carry out any dying wishes to betray the Republic."

"Good. Is there anything else, Agent Crom?"

"No, Chancellor." It was then Crom remembered, "Well, actually Chancellor. This attack on Coruscant has been bothering me."

"Oh, how so?" Palpatine said with a growing suspicion of where Crom was about to go.

"It seems ridiculous for Coruscant to be openly attacked by the Separatists without the Intelligence's knowledge."

"You should know, Agent Crom. We are at war. Sometimes our agents can't always grab significant clues to the Separatists' movements. Valuable intelligence can be lost or be flawed."

"Yes Chancellor, but I looked over the sensor logs on the _Intrepid_ and checked the hyperspace route the Separatists would have used to attack Coruscant without our notice. One of the few choices they could have only taken is the Nexus Route. Even with the other possibilities, that Route is the only hyperspace lane where the Separatists can attack Coruscant without leaving a trace for Intelligence to catch. But what makes no sense is that only we and your Office knows about the Nexus Route that was recovered by the Jedi in that mission to the Citadel. The Separatists never got this information. And then theirs the way they were able to kidnap you, Chancellor. With both of these things, they knew all of our moves. I suspect Chancellor that there could be a traitor within our ranks."

Palpatine gave a sly smile as he nodded, "Have you _shared_ these suspicions with anyone else?"

"No, Chancellor. I initially thought of bringing this immediately to Intelligence but I wanted you to know first."

Smiling widely, he said, "Good."

Suddenly, Crom felt his neck tighten and he began to choke. He futilely grasped at his neck trying to stop what was pressing on him and realized just before blacking out that it was Palpatine who was responsible for the attack on Coruscant. Unfortunately for him, it didn't take very long before his neck snapped and he fell to the floor lifeless.

Satisfied that the man had been silenced, Palpatine turned to Amedda, "Agent Gidezain Crom was involved in a most unfortunate speeder accident. The cause of his death is a broken neck. Speeder safety should be one of our top domestic priorities."

"Yes, Chancellor." Amedda responded. Before Amedda left though, Palpatine would instruct him to alter sensor records everywhere of the battle to hide which route the Separatists took and fabricate some 'overlooked' intelligence regarding the attack. Amedda then directed two of the Chancellor's Red Guard to dispose the body.

* * *

Back in the special lodgings for foreign dignitaries, Bozes slept quietly as Pina is handwriting a letter to her father on her changed opinion on the war. She wanted the letter to be ready before they were to go back home tomorrow.

'_Father, I write to you in a spirit of good faith that you will heed my advice. I have met the enemy and everything about them is overwhelming. I have been fortunate to venture to the other side of the Gate and this Republic we have chosen to go to war against was a mistake. _

_The Galactic Republic is a coalition of numerous worlds amongst a galaxy full of alien civilizations that exceeds everything that exists on our world. Their magic is in fact science and technology that is centuries, possibly even a couple of millenia ahead of our own. They are able to ascend into the heavens in massive flying dagger-shaped ships and they have sorcerer warriors who are called Jedi who lead duplicated soldiers that are literally born for war. With this kind of military strength, they employ tactics that are beyond our current abilities to counter. They even have weapons that could give an Apostle pause. _

_We have no recourse to strike back if the Republic chooses war over peace. If we choose to continue this war, the Empire is certain to not only lose but be destroyed in the process. We are fortunate that the Republic has chosen to extend an olive branch of peace. There are other political entities in their galaxy who are unlikely to pass such an offer to us. Ultimately, they wish for their citizens who were taken during the Empire's expedition to be returned to them. They also ask for compensation that is negotiable to fit our economics. _

_We are fortunate they ask for such small demands. Any other conqueror would demand for our heads to be served on a platter. I implore you, father, to reconsider pursing war with the Republic. It is in our best self-interest to comply as they are also willing to impart their knowledge freely to us. I hope you arrive to an amicable conclusion_.

_Additionally, I have included a list of nobles and soldiers who are to be released freely by the Republic and a secondary list of the survivors from the Empire's expedition who are to be released when we have arrived to the negotiated compensation_.'

Pina signed off on the letter and slumped into her chair. She was pinning her hopes that the letter would convince her father but deep down, she felt that her father might ignore her warning. She sighed at the possibility that her father might slap away the olive branch. She then remembered her brother, Zorzal El Caesar. Pina gave a pained groan at the likeliest possibility that it would be Zorzal who would convince their father to continue the war. She knew he was a naive fool who always thumped his chest at the superiority of the Empire. It was him after all who led the campaign against the warrior bunnies in which despite the warnings of some of the Imperial Generals and nobles of high casualties, he declared war on them anyway. The warrior bunnies campaign would result in the Empire's highest number of casualties until they met the Republic.

She wondered what continued conflict with the Republic would look like. At first, she imagined that it would continue exactly as she had witnessed. For her, this was the best case scenario even if the Empire were to fall. But she cringed, imagining a Venator razing the Imperial Capital from orbit. They wouldn't be able to do anything about it, even if they had the gods on their side. She also feared a more aggressive General replacing Eila. After landing back on the planet, she was witness to the Chancellor parading General Skywalker around back in the Galactic Senate for his role in the rescue. She had noticed that General Kenobi had not joined in the celebration even though he also took part. Despite not having personally seen Skywalker in battle, she could tell from how the Chancellor touted his achievements that he would approach their conflict with pragmatic efficiency to quickly topple the Empire.

Dwelling on that possible future, Pina took the letter and thought of disposing it at the low chance her father might change his mind. Ultimately, she stopped herself as she would remember her conversation with Yoda. Feeling her confidence being reignited, she folded the letter up with the lists to be ready for delivery when they returned.

'_Faith_,' She thought, '_Just a little faith._'

* * *

_Author's Note_: I foreshadowed the attack on Coruscant by the Separatists in the first chapter. I played around with some of Palpatine's dialogue in _Clone Wars (2003)_, specifically the scene of the training duel between Dooku and Grievous and Palpatine coming up and commending Dooku's "wise counsel".


	10. Past And Present

_**Two years ago…**_

"Deova! DEOVA!"

Eila was startled by the sudden shouting as she immediately scrambled to get up from the trench she had been sleeping in. Still somewhat dazed, she slowly recognized the Besalisk Jedi standing before her. Snapping out of her haze, she tried to speak without yawning, "M—Master, what are your orders?"

Her Master, Pong Krell seemed to sneer at her supposed sloppiness to his calling. "Prepare to have the men move on the double! We're going to attack the Separatist stronghold again." He ordered.

"Yes, Master." She responded. She eventually turned to some of the clones who were still sleeping in the trench she was in though a few were also awake because of Krell's shouting. She walked over to Wrench who was still sleeping and shook him a bit.

"C—Commander?" Wrench said waking up.

"Let's go, CC-1221. The General has ordered an attack on the Separatist stronghold."

"It's Wrench ma'am, but shouldn't we do a bit of recon before attacking? Those turbolaser batteries ate up the few remaining AT-TEs we had the other day."

Ignoring his name, Eila sighed with a hint of frustration, "1221, the General has ordered an attack, so we attack."

Wrench would return the sigh with clear frustration as he complied with the order. "Well, that was a well earned three hours of sleep." He muttered with sarcasm.

Ultimately, their campaign on Devaron to permanently purge the Separatist presence had been going poorly in the opinion of the clones. The Grand Army had been sent as the Separatists invaded the planet in an attempt to sack the Temple of Eedit since it was not only a temple for the Jedi, but it doubled as a surveillance post for the entire sector. Its sacking would mean valuable intelligence being lost on Separatist movements in the sector and be a blow to the Jedi since the temple was built on a powerful vergence in the Force. After a few months of fighting, the Separatists had only one stronghold left but it was the first stronghold they established when they invaded the planet in the beginning so it was more heavily protected than the other bases that had been destroyed.

Over the entire course of the campaign, Krell's singular strategy was to simply throw men and material at the Separatists. This strategy had worked on the other bases because they lacked turbolaser batteries to deal with tanks but scores of clones were still killed in the process. Now, with the turbolasers on this final base, they were not only losing tanks but they were losing men faster than they could be replaced with new troopers. The base also had a shield that protected it from orbital bombardment which further made Krell's strategy even more costly. Wrench had been continually suggesting that they conduct recon missions around the stronghold to see if there was a weakness to the shield or a blind spot with the turbolasers. But, Krell had likewise continually shot down the suggestions and Eila simply agreed with her Master.

At this early point in the war, Wrench not only grew to hate Krell but had a poor opinion of Eila as well, seeing her as a yes-man to Krell's terrible strategies. Eila, like her Master, also felt that the clones weren't as effective as the Jedi Order and Galactic Senate had advertised them to be. Unfortunately, Eila's views of the clones at this point would be reinforced as some clones had openly questioned Krell's tactics; something the Order and Senate had advertised wouldn't happen since the clones were supposed to be obedient to all commands. They were after all; property, not individuals with rights to complain. The disobedient clones were dealt with harshly by Krell with even some being openly and publicly executed. It would be around this point that Eila would hear from her Master the statement that, '_Some clones are just defective_'. Not knowing any better, she agreed. Still, she felt that the clones shouldn't be wasted needlessly if it can be helped but her Master's orders always took precedent to her own concerns.

Marshaling the troopers, Wrench finished adjusting his Phase I armor and approached Eila to plead his case again. "Commander, request a recon—"

"Enough, 1221." Eila interrupted, "The General has given his order. Move out!"

"Sir, yes sir." He bitterly responded.

Soon enough, Wrench and the men were again charging towards the batteries and were predictably getting mowed down. They only had three tanks left when the attack started with eight. The three tanks quickly dwindled to two as the batteries penetrated the armor of one of them and caused the tank to explode in shower of mangled parts. Wrench ducked into a pile of debris that Eila had likewise taken cover behind. The one thing Wrench at least appreciated about Eila was that she went with the clones into battle unlike Krell who stayed well in the back claiming to wanting to see 'the bigger picture'.

"Commander, this just another repeat of yesterday! Do you have any other plans?!" Wrench yelled to her.

Eila scrambled to think of an alternative. Krell had further elaborated on his plan to her before the battle started to charge the guns because the tanks would draw their fire as they approached the shield in which they were to use droid poppers to temporarily disrupt the shield to get in. Unfortunately, the tanks went down too quickly and the men were no longer getting any closer. The last two tanks shortly fell while Eila had not thought of another plan. Not progressing any further, she called up Krell.

"Master, the tanks have been destroyed! We're pinned down!"

"You will continue the advance! Do you hear me?!" Krell immediately cut the line.

Wrench spoke up, "Commander, we can't advance any further! We should pull back and reassess!"

Seeing no other choice because Krell said so, Eila told Wrench, "No, 1221! We have to press on!" Standing up, she did her best to deflect incoming fire. "Get behind me!" She called.

Scowling with disapproval but ultimately not wanting to disobey, Wrench and a squad who had managed to duck in with them, took cover behind her. They slowly made their way towards the shield wall. Despite being an inviting target, the droids didn't concentrate on Eila as there were still plenty of unprotected clones to shoot. Finally making it to the wall and below the droids arc of fire, the clones pulled out droid poppers to disrupt the shield. The poppers did the job for a little while. The shield would open up but would close too fast for someone to get through. They tried it a few more times but the results were the same.

"We're down to two more poppers, Commander. The poppers just aren't strong enough and the effect not lasting long enough for us to get through. We need something stronger to breach the shield or something to amplify the poppers." Wrench explained.

Thinking about what to do again, Eila would find herself looking at her lightsaber and thinking about Wrench mentioning about amplifying the poppers.

"We'll try this." She said as she began to open up her lightsaber. Once the internal circuitry and kyber crystal were exposed, Wrench questioned what he was seeing.

"This 1221, is the heart of a Jedi's weapon. Kyber crystals amplify energy." Eila said as she tinkered with the internal circuitry.

Catching on quickly, Wrench completed what Eila intended to do, "And you want to use it to enhance our poppers and disrupt the shield for a longer period."

"Exactly." She said while the last remaining poppers were handed to her. Once she had them, she sighed as she was about to do something really dangerous. "I'm going to have to activate the poppers and my saber at the same time. Having the crystal exposed and the safeguards removed should increase the effect of the poppers. If anything, being amplified by a kyber crystal even it being this small, it should disrupt the entire shield grid."

"That's good, but you don't look so happy about it, Commander."

"No, I'm not 1221. Kyber crystals are important to Jedi. They're like a friend to us."

"It's just a crystal, sir."

"Not to me. And not to any Jedi." She said before giving the detail of why this is a dangerous thing to do, "Because of the crystal, there's going to be a lot of energy arcing around. We're gonna have to run into the blaster fire to not get hit with any of the energy bolts that are going to come flying out. Get ready."

Wrench and the clones with them nodded at what they had to do. Using the Force to lift her saber and the poppers into position just barely touching the shield, she asked the clones to run on her order. Pressing the switch using the Force on both her saber and the poppers, she yelled for everyone to run. The disruptive energy from the poppers began resonating with the crystal and the poppers essentially became a massive EMP to the shield. Bolts of energy flew from the origin point and narrowly missed over Eila and the running clones. The shield began to collapse at the immense amount of energy it was just fed.

Unfortunately, Eila was unlucky enough to get caught in the path of one of the bolts. Sensing the incoming bolt, she knew she wasn't going to have enough time to duck out of the way. Preparing herself for the pain of getting electrocuted and possibly even dying from it, she would exclaim in surprise when Wrench pushed her out of the bolt's path. Instead of her, he got shocked, although he was just lucky enough that his armor dispersed most of the energy. Falling to the ground, Eila's mind raced at what Wrench just did as he fell down unconscious from the shock. It was the first time she had been saved by a clone as it had always been the other way around so far.

Seeing the shield completely collapse, Krell immediately ordered all remaining forces to attack along with air support from the _Eternal_ to bombard the base into submission. As Y-Wings flew overhead and the remaining troopers running past, Eila ran to Wrench's side and removed his helmet to see if he was still alive. Seeing that he was breathing and had a faint heart beat, she tried to pick the trooper up. But the droids hadn't stopped shooting even if their shield was gone. Seeing a vulnerable enemy, the droids shot at them. For Eila, things seemed to slow down as she saw the blaster bolts streak towards her. Curling up to protect herself and the unconscious man, she would be saved by Krell jumping in front of her and deflecting the incoming shots with his double-bladed lightsabers.

"What are you doing?!" Krell called, "Leave the clone and retreat!"

"He's still alive, Master! I can get him out!"

"**LEAVE THE CLONE, DEOVA!**" He bellowed.

For the first time, Eila's opinion was different from her Master, "No! I'm not just gonna leave 1221! Master, please cover me while I get him out!"

Angrily growling at his apprentice's insubordination, he reluctantly protected her while she dragged Wrench away from the frontlines.

Eventually, the base would fall into Republic hands. Disabling the shield allowed the bombers to destroy the turbolasers and without their big guns, the droids were soon overwhelmed. Unfortunately, capturing the final base had costed Krell's corps dearly as out the 30,000 troopers they had started with, only around 2000 were still combat capable. Another 3000 were injured while the rest of the corps had wound up as fatalities.

Having been sent up to the orbiting _Eternal_ to head for a Republic medical facility once all the injured were brought aboard, Eila sat next to Wrench's bed in the medical bay as she waited for him to regain consciousness. She wanted to thank him for saving her. She had initially thought of Wrench as confrontational because he always questioned Krell's orders and sometimes even hers. Although, he walked a fine line that prevented him from meeting the end of Krell's lightsaber. Eventually, Hawkins voice came over the comms for the crew to ready to break orbit and head into hyperspace.

Wrench began to stir as the ship entered hyperspace. Dazed and feeling tingles all over himself, he noticed that he was aboard the _Eternal_ as he stared at the gray ceiling and heard the hum of the engines. Realizing who was next to him, he called out, "Commander."

"1221." Eila responded.

"It's Wren—ahh, forget it."

"What?"

He sighed, "Commander, why do you and the General never say our names?"

She was surprised by his question but answered, "W—Well, I don't say your name because I always thought it was a personal thing between clones. I mean, you don't hear me refer to my Master by his name around you guys. He insisted that I call him 'Master' or 'General' only and I'm fine with that. I can't say why my Master won't say your names though."

"Huh, well it would be nice if you called us by our names though."

"Why?"

'Remember that joint operation on Brentaal IV with General Plo Koon?"

"Yeah."

"When we were having that briefing on how to help the ground forces, General Plo Koon referred to CC-3636 as Commander Wolffe. Even though I'm not personally acquainted with General Plo Koon or Wolffe, I could tell that he and the General shared a deep bond. That's something that I thought only existed between my fellow brothers. To hear our names called by you or General Krell, while small, I feel it could make a lot of difference."

Eila thought about his reasoning. She realized that having a close bond meant you fought better together so she gave it a try. "Okay, 12—I mean, Wrench. I'll start calling you and the clones by your names."

Wrench gave a smile at her giving it a try, "Ha, how cute."

"C—Cute!" She blushed.

He gave another chuckle. Eila shook away her feelings and remembered why she had stayed with him in the medical bay.

"W—Wrench. Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"You pushed me out of the way. You saved me."

"It's my duty, sir. I wouldn't be a good soldier if I didn't protect my commander."

"I don't think it was. You just did it without thinking about it. I felt that."

Wrench quietly accepted her reasoning. He then remembered that he had been electrocuted and he also remembered that anytime a clone had been injured on the battlefield, Krell usually left them to their fate and had usually told Eila to leave them. He wanted to know what made her change her mind. "Commander," He began, "Why did _you_ save me?"

After a stunned pause from her, she answered, "You saved my life and I think that you and your brothers lives shouldn't be wasted. You're all needed to lead the Republic to victory."

Wrench was starting to realize that Eila at least cared about them on some level. That was something that he didn't feel at all when he would look at Krell.

"Huh, so you do at least care about us." He said.

"What?"

Wrench decided to be truthful to her, "Commander, I had always thought that you didn't care about us at all. You always agreed to the General Krell's terrible ideas."

Eila pouted a bit at Wrench slandering her Master but she said, "Oh. Well, I only agree with my Master because like you, it's my duty to him."

"Ahh." Wrench said as he agreed to her reason.

Eila began to tighten her hands into a fist, "But today, that was actually the first time I had defied my Master. He told me to leave you there."

Wrench looked at her and noticed she seemed to be torn between her conscience and her duty. "Don't feel so bad, Commander. I'm starting to see that sometimes, the things you're asked to do, aren't always the right thing. Isn't your philosophy as a Jedi to always do the _right_ thing."

She contemplated on his reasoning and came to accept it as it is something the Jedi are expected to do. "You're right. We are supposed to do the right thing." She then thought of Krell, "I wonder why my Master can't seem to see it that way. He casually wastes your lives in open charges. I don't get it."

Wrench opted to be blunt, "To be frank, Commander, I think he hates clones."

She initially thought of rebutting his statement and try to defend Krell but it was starting to make a lot of sense as ever since Krell had been assigned clone troopers, he had continually made up plans that seemed to maximize the potential for clones to wind up dead. Ultimately, she agreed with Wrench's statement as she now saw that she was following her duty blindly. Although, it is a habit she couldn't quite shake since she and the troopers have a responsibility to follow orders. Otherwise, they wouldn't really be considered an army, just a mob with weapons.

Unbeknownst to them, Krell was intentionally making such plans for a darker reason having seen the future of the Republic. In the end, they'd only learn of Krell's true intentions after he was executed for treason on Umbara. They would both be horrified and angry when they did learn of it.

"Wrench." She began, feeling a growing resolve.

"Commander?"

"I'll try to protect you and the men. But I don't know if I can do my best with it."

Wrench smiled that at least Eila was getting around to the idea that as a leader, she should care about the well-being of her troops. "That's good enough, Commander. Any little bit helps."

Eila smiled back and then she thought of sharing a mutual connection that she started to turn a little red over, "B—By the way, Wrench, y—you can call me, Eila."

He was surprised that she decided to be quite personal with him, "R—Really? I can call you by your name?"

"Only when it's appropriate!" She managed to quickly squeak out.

* * *

_**Present…**_

"General. General!" Eila's dream was interrupted as she awoke to Wrench gently shaking her, "We're almost back to the Gate. You dozed off since we boarded the airspeeder."

"Oh, t—thank you, Wrench." She replied, seeing that the transport was about to touch down in the Uscru district near the Gate. She got up under her own power having been fully healed. Bacta was just as effective as the healing magic Lelei and Tuka used that Wrench had told her about the day before.

While walking up to the Gate with their guests, she thought about the little dream she had to the past. She wasn't quite sure what had triggered it now of all times but after those events, it would be the first time Wrench put a white dash on his shoulder pad. He explained to her that it was to be a symbol of the first time she had defied Krell. Ultimately, Wrench would add two more dashes after two separate incidents where she would defy Krell's orders again to protect the men's lives from blatantly suicidal plans. Although, Eila remembered that she had to start walking the same fine line Wrench had when dealing with Krell. She regretted not being able to protect the clones' lives every time he ordered something reckless but she did not regret her growing hatred of him along the way, especially after the 501st revealed his true allegiance. But, Eila did feel some shame that she used to think like him before that clones were merely pawns to be used to achieve victory. She also remembered that she broke her lightsaber in that battle. The Jedi Council reprimanded her for using a Jedi's weapon so carelessly. She did remember feeling so happy when they returned to the planet to pick up the remaining men who had stayed as a garrison before Master Ropal took over since it was on that return that Wrench had taken the time to look for the kyber crystal of her lightsaber. She was absolutely surprised when Wrench actually found it, having survived the explosion barring a few scorch marks on it. He told her when he returned the crystal that they don't leave friends behind. She eventually constructed her new lightsaber with it.

Looking around the Uscru district, it seemed that everything had returned to normal. It seems both the incident and the attack on Coruscant by the Separatists hadn't dampened the people's demand for entertainment. Although, people did give the Gate a wide berth probably due to the fear of another attack from the Empire but likely because the Coruscant Guard had cordoned off the area around the Gate. Before Eila could greet the guards, another airspeeder transport landed behind them. She had initially expected Crom to be on it but it was instead some researchers from the University of Coruscant. Ultimately, she didn't care what had happened to Crom if he had simply went back to his desk at Republic Intelligence; it was just as long as he was no longer there to bother her or Wrench in invoking their past.

"Ahh, Jedi General Deova!" The Gran researcher called out, "A pleasure to meet you." He reached out his hand for a shake. Eila shook his hand back.

"And you are?" She questioned.

"Oh, apologies. I am Ge Lial of the University of Coruscant's xenoarchaeology branch. These are the two assistants accompanying me." Lial directed her attention to a Twi'lek and human researcher. "This is Nima and Loncel." She would also shake the hands of the two women.

"Well, I hope this expedition will be fruitful for all of us." Lial concluded. Eila didn't respond back but gave a nod and went to their guests from the Gate. Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Bozes, and Pina had managed to find Captain Fordo among the troopers from the Coruscant Guard tasked with guarding the Gate on the Coruscant side. The troopers of RT3 had likewise gathered around him.

"It's good to see you're all safe." Fordo addressed the group.

"Yes, yesterday was quite…chaotic." Lelei answered.

"Heard you personally scrapped a thousand battle droids yesterday, Captain." Alloy called out.

"I wasn't really keeping count." Fordo replied but RT3 wasn't really convinced that he didn't keep count. A consistent thing about clone troopers, regardless of what branch they were affiliated with, is that they liked keeping score.

"Well, I also heard you guys got into the fight as well." Fordo said directing his attention to their guests. "Rory. Heard you scrapped a few clankers. As did you, Princess."

"Yes, your weapons are surprisingly simple to use." Pina answered.

Fordo nodded and looked over to Rory who bashfully answered, "Yes, it was quite an experience." She seemingly wanted to forget about the pain.

In the end, no one wanted to tell Fordo that Rory had actually been injured. The troopers weren't quite sure how she would react to a traumatizing event being brought up especially in the presence of a person she had taken an obvious interest in.

"Hey!" Tuka spoke up, "We contributed too, Captain." She also motioned to Lelei, citing her involvement.

"I heard that too. You both did an amazing job protecting and healing the men with your 'magic'."

While they both gave a smile for the praise they were receiving, Fordo snapped to attention and saluted as Eila approached, "General, it's good to see you again. I'm sorry about the loss of your ship."

"Yeah, me too." She said quietly. Trying to free herself from having difficult thoughts, Eila addressed all them, "Well, I hope you enjoyed your stay. Unless we're recalled again, it seems we won't be seeing Coruscant again for a while."

The men nodded along and Fordo would signal one of the guards to open up the blast doors to the Gate. As they went back aboard an airspeeder transport to take them through, Eila wondered what could be next.

* * *

_Author's Note_: Just a little flashback chapter before normal service is resumed.


	11. The Fire Dragon

Since returning from Coruscant, the next few weeks we're quite eventful. While there had been no major battles or immediate crises scaring everyone, there has been progress. For Eila, it looked like the Empire was starting to listen since when they returned from Coruscant, Pina and Bozes left for home and eventually sent a courier that some pro-peace, neutral, and pro-war Senators wanted to meet. Releasing Count Formal, his associates, and the first five hundred soldiers must have moved them. The details on the meeting hadn't been finalized yet as Pina hadn't sent another message.

While that issue was being waited on to be resolved, the refugees seemed to have been spreading the word about them. After a while, merchants, refugees, and others citizens from across Falmart started showing up at the front of the base looking for dragon scales, protection from bandits or some other reason. Quickly running out of space to house people within the base even though the base was expanded a few times to deal with this problem, the people decided to start making a town near the base. The town rapidly grew to the point it needed a variety of services such as a police force. Rory eagerly volunteered for the police force and pretty much everyone was hoping it would serve as an outlet to any aggression she might have and it was certainly working since after a few incidents, no one dared to cross her. Although, newcomers we're expected to cause trouble just so Rory wouldn't be bored.

With a new town near the base and a growing government structure within it, the Republic was taking a more hands off approach when it came to refugees seeking asylum. While they would provide some supplies, mostly quality of life materials, and security, the town was expected to take care of itself and whoever came by. The quality of life items though usually flew off the shelves with datapads being among the popular items which was causing some bookstore owners and printing press companies to be fearful of their futures. The clones usually went to the town's bar to have some fun when they were off-duty since it would take too long to go to 79's on Coruscant. Sometimes, Eila would join them too when the day was done.

Not everything was ideal though as there had been some incidents with people coming to the base. Despite a call for a meeting, there have been a few times the troopers had caught the Empire's spies trying to nab some technology or weapon. Likely to reverse engineer it. Unfortunately for them, anyone entering or leaving the base was scanned and it was pretty obvious a person was a spy when they would give the flimsy reason of trying to find the refresher while lingering near the weapons depot. Even in the town, some spies would try to steal the 'quality of life' items but they never got past the shopkeeper since the shop also had a scanner at the door. They eventually tried stealing it from someone who had already bought it but they wouldn't get very far as Rory had very sharp eye for thieves and people leaving the town were also scanned at its gates. It quickly became policy that technology from the Republic wouldn't leave the town or base. The spies who tried to run or foolishly fight when they were caught usually condemned themselves to Rory requiring a cleaning droid and troopers to block off the area to shield children's eyes.

As for exploration, it was certainly booming with Recon Team Five personally running the researchers from the University of Coruscant around the continent. The researchers constantly bombarded Eila with communiques of what they were finding, even though most of it was hardly remarkable like finding significant amounts of sulfur near a volcano or seeing some previously unseen humanoid species to the Republic. She eventually started ignoring their messages and sent them directly back to Coruscant to bother whoever had to read them over there.

The recon teams themselves were finally getting an upgrade. Because the Senate was willing to spend more on the expedition, the modified BARC speeders were getting replaced with the brand new TX-130T fighter tanks that had only recently left the Rothana Heavy Engineering foundries to replace the aging TX-130 Saber-class tanks. Since the T-variants were larger, they could carry the gear needed better than the modified speeders could. Additionally, five people can fit in the tank, so it also reduced the number of speeders needed from nine down to four for a squad. It also carried concussion missiles, dual heavy laser cannons, and a thermal detonator/smoke launcher which satisfied Fordo's recommendation for heavier firepower. Wrench would be disappointed when these tanks rolled out since his speeders were getting scrapped and to compensate, out of the twelve AT-TEs they had, six were going back home to be used elsewhere along with the same number of LAAT/c's. All of the AV-7 artillery guns were also being taken back. Although, Wrench would replace the beam cannon turret of the TX-130 with a heavy repeating blaster as the enemies they had so far run across liked to use swarming tactics. The beam cannon had a lag time between shots which could prove costly when multiple enemies are charging the tank. This was a much needed upgrade since before these tanks began rolling out, the fire dragon hadn't remained idle since its arm was blown off. It was now attacking the recon teams in various locations all over the continent, making it difficult to pin down where it was resting. Despite the recon teams efforts to kill it with rocket launchers whenever they encountered it, they had lost thirteen troopers to the beast.

The aerial forces were also getting an upgrade as so far, the only air vehicles they had were the LAATs. Using the extra space created because of the housing problem, newly brought in Y-Wings, V-Wings, and ARC-170s now filled that gap. Captain Koll and his fellow pilots were particularly happy with this as a wide blue sky without droid fighters to challenge them was a liberating feeling to them. To them, it felt like they were flying in the safe skies of Kamino without the persistent rain clouds. Although, the pilots would be given the job of acting as advanced scouts to a point of interest before a recon team would take a closer look. In addition, someone back home also thought up of the wild idea of constructing Venator-class Star Destroyers in orbit to bolster their presence in the Special Region, possibly explore other worlds, and find out if they were even in their own galaxy. The base and the surrounding field around Alnus wasn't big enough to accommodate a ground-based shipyard so the first thing to construct would be the orbital shipyard. It would be estimated that in six months, the orbital platform would be completed as well as at least a trio of Star Destroyers ready. With that ambitious plan, materials and construction droids had been coming in non-stop since the proposal was approved.

* * *

Casually throwing another one of the researcher's messages aside to be transmitted later and moving on to reading the prevailing mythology in Falmart provided by Lelei, Fordo and Wrench entered Eila's office. Wrench would drop off a datapad and explain, "General, RT1 is ready to leave for the Blue Sea."

"Alright, send them off. They're to deliver reports every 12 hours."

"Yes, General."

Fordo would be the next to speak up and drop off another datapad, "General, Rory handled another situation in town today. Here's her report."

"Okay." After a pause, "Did she kill anyone?"

"No. But I'm sure the punk she kicked in a rather sensitive spot certainly wished she had."

Eila gave a faint chuckle and thanked the both of them. Despite thanking them, Fordo and Wrench hadn't budged. Noticing this, she spoke up, "Something wrong?"

"General, Ramius is becoming concerned about Tuka." Fordo said.

"Oh?" Eila said and raising an eyebrow.

"Since the town started up, she's been wandering around everyday looking for someone." Fordo continued, "Ramius is becoming concerned about her mental state."

"General, we should bring her in. Have her talk about her problems to us so we can help her." Wrench said.

Eila began thinking about Tuka. So far, whenever she had read Tuka through the Force, it was telling her that Tuka's mind was confused and in denial. Tuka's mind was refusing to accept an undeniable truth. Eila asked Fordo how he had been treating her since this issue had come up under his watch.

"Treating her, General? I've treated her no different than I have with Lelei or Rory or any of the other refugees. I help them out where I can. I see to their needs when they ask for it. I haven't really given Tuka any special treatment. I actually told Ramius before to simply wait and have Tuka come to us with her problems but it's already been a few months since we rescued her and she hasn't."

"That's why I'm saying we should bring her in. She needs to confront whatever is bothering her." Wrench repeated.

"Wrench, she'll probably move further away from us if we force her. But, have you noticed anything particular about her behavior, Fordo?" Eila said.

"Hmm, well I did hear her mention about a 'father' a couple of times."

"Father?"

"Yes, General. There have been a few times she's asked people if they had seen her father. The people in question would mention that after asking them, she would get all embarrassed asking about it and then skitter away."

"Hmm, there were no other elves when you rescued her from her village, correct?"

"I'm quite certain. The men couldn't find anyone else in her village or in the immediate area. The place was completely decimated. Is there anything you could advise?"

Eila wasn't quite sure what to do herself with Tuka. It was quite obvious that her father was dead based on the information available. For Eila, she had been trained to accept death as a natural part of life. For anyone to die, they shouldn't be missed. Their life should instead be celebrated now that they were one with the Force. Ultimately, she thought that Tuka would readily reject that idea and create a fantasy where her father is alive to cling to. She sighed, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure what to do. I guess we can continue to wait for Tuka to come to us. Let's just hope it doesn't take an eternity."

While the two men nodded and left the room, hearing herself say that statement though reinforced Eila's doubts about her choice. She preferred confronting a problem directly as Wrench suggested, but she wasn't really sure how Tuka would react to being forced to face the fact that her father is dead. When it came to any problems concerning the well-being of a person, Master Yoda would usually advise to trust in the Force to guide them. At the moment, Eila was betting on that.

* * *

Yao Ha Dushi panted heavily, having walked for weeks to reach Alnus to seek the aid of the white armored men with green markings. She and the elders of her village had heard the rumor about them that they were the ones who wounded the fire dragon. The same fire dragon that was now hunting her people by torching their homes and eating her brethren. Approaching the town near the base which had a sign on its entrance calling itself 'Town of Alnus', Yao wandered around trying to find those men. To her displeasure, she would instead be solicited by perverts or muggers. She handled them well enough by herself once those degenerates realized they were totally out of her league and she had managed to get their coin pouches in exchange. Tossing up another coin pouch from another pervert who ran away from her, she suddenly heard someone call out to her.

"Hey you!"

She turned around to see two young women, one wearing a black and red dress while holding a large halberd and the other was a siren. She approached the pair cautiously.

"Yes?" She answered.

"Seems you've been causing trouble around here." The girl said.

"Oh, what kind of trouble?"

"This gentleman here says you stole his money."

From the corner of Yao's eye, she saw a man she had met earlier with a black eye pointing at her and accusing her of being a thief. She wasn't going to take his accusation willingly.

"This man is not being completely truthful. He offered me money for sexual favors. When I refused, he tried to attack me so I defended myself and took his pouch for good measure."

"Oh?" The girl eyed the man with suspicion.

The man twitched nervously but continued his tirade that Yao was guilty. Yao began to argue with him while also throwing insults such as mocking his manhood. The girl sighed at the little spat she was seeing and called to her partner.

"Myuute, restrain them both. We'll bring them to the clones."

Before Yao and the man could protest, Myuute had muttered a spell and confined the two using wind magic. Yao and the man couldn't escape as the air swirling around was so strong it actually hurt to stick their hands into it. They had to walk with the wind or risk getting whipped by it.

Being brought to the brig, Yao at first thought of testing the ray shield confining her since she didn't know what the translucent wall was. Luckily for her, the man who was brought in with her and put in the cell next door tried to hit the shield while whining that he was wrongly imprisoned. He got electrocuted into unconsciousness for his trouble. Pulling her hand away, she was immediately jubilant at the sight of the white armored men with green markings enter the room with the girl who took her in earlier and another girl who looked to be a mage.

"Hey! Hey!" She called to them, "You're the men the rumors are about, right? Please, I need your help!"

The men stared at her until one of them talked quietly with the two girls with them. Eventually, one of them approached her.

"I'm Captain Fordo of the Grand Army of the Republic. And you are?"

"Yao. Yao Ha Dushi. My clan live in the Schwarz Forest. I was sent on a quest to seek your help"

"Help? What kind of help?"

"To slay the fire dragon."

Yao could tell Fordo was certainly interested in helping her because he immediately lowered the ray shield and asked her to come with him to see his General. Before leaving though, he instructed the other men to interrogate the man in the other cell when he wakes up. Entering an office, she was greeted by a woman in monk's clothing.

"I'm General Eila Deova, commander of this base." She said introducing herself then Fordo whispered something to her and she continued, "Yao Ha Dushi? So Ms. Dushi, you want us to kill the fire dragon."

"Yes! Please help us. The fire dragon came two months ago to my village and has killed many of my people."

"Alright, we'll help you."

Yao's ears perked up. She was completely surprised. She had thought there would be more resistance to her demand making it necessary to carry out her clan's wish to sell herself to them for their help if needed but they had just readily accepted it.

Not wanting to push her luck in asking if there was a price for their help, she stammered, "T—Thank you!"

"You're welcome but tell me, where is the fire dragon?"

"I—It has made its nest on Mount Tube, the highest point of the Tuba Mountain range in the Schwarz Forest."

Eila turned to Fordo and whispered something to him. He proceeded to leave the room and Eila spoke back to Yao, "Thank you, Ms. Dushi. I'll organize a mission right away to eliminate the fire dragon." She signaled for a trooper to enter, "Please get some rest, Ms. Dushi. You'll leave tomorrow with us to be our local guide. This trooper will take you to your quarters."

Yao was absolutely ecstatic as she left the room with the trooper.

'_M—My people!_' She thought with some tears leaking out, '_You are saved!_'

* * *

Some time later, Eila was looking over some documents she had been handed until she heard a knock on her door. It was Wrench who came in.

"General, did you just approve a mission to kill the fire dragon?" Wrench asked.

"Yes, I did. Fordo and RT3 are to leave with Ms. Yao Ha Dushi for the Schwarz Forest tomorrow. It seems the fire dragon was in the Kingdom of Elbe after all. All those attacks on our men will soon be avenged. But I am going to order Captain Koll later today to select a pair of pilots to scout the area in force first before RT3 moves in. If Koll's pilots get a chance to kill it, RT3 will still go to confirm its dead and assist in clean up. RT5 should also be rerouted when we do kill it. I'm sure those researchers will want to examine that dragon's corpse." Eila said.

"The Schwarz Forest? The Kingdom of Elbe was it?"

"Yes."

"Are we allowed to cross the border? Isn't it a little dangerous to cross the border of one of the Empire's vassal states when we're about to start negotiations with them?"

"That's right, but we'll be fine."

"Oh? Ah, I see. It's because of that old man isn't it." Wrench said, remembering an old man missing an arm and a leg who was brought in by a group of nuns begging them to use their medical technology to heal him.

"Yeah, in exchange for the cybernetic replacements for his missing limbs, Lord Duran gave us his consent to cross into his lands. Kind of ironic that one of the enemies we fought when we first got here is now an ally for that region." Eila gave a small laugh and continued, "Was that all you wanted to ask, Wrench?"

"Actually, this just came in from a courier of the Princess." He gave a rolled up piece of parchment to her.

Unraveling it and quickly going over it, she spoke back to Wrench, "Looks like the meeting with their Senators is on. It'll be in a few weeks. I'll give the Senate a call and ask how we'll proceed."

"Yes, General."

"Let's do our best to make sure both these missions succeed."

* * *

Over the skies of the Special Region, a V-Wing and an ARC-170 were dancing across the sky. Captain Koll in his V-Wing was acting like a droid tri-fighter for dogfighting practice to the new pilot of the ARC-170. The condition to finish the exercise was for either of them to get a solid sensor lock on the other.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Shiny!" Koll radioed as he banked his craft to avoid a sensor lock.

"Damn it! Come on!" The new pilot yelled as he tried to follow Koll's maneuver.

The new pilot's co-pilot though would voice his concern, "Woah, take it easy, Maverick. Trying to match the Captain move for move isn't going to work. We can't match a V-Wing in this tub."

"I know! I know, Nickel!"

The split second of arguing with his co-pilot though costed Maverick since he immediately lost sight of Koll.

"Damn it, where is he?! Nickel? Sparrow?" Maverick called out to his fellow pilots as he and Nickel strained their necks looking all around themselves. His back gunner, Sparrow would tell him.

"He's on our six!"

"Damn he's fast! That's got to be cheating!" Maverick said.

"Fair fights are for suckers, kid!" Koll called back on the comms as he began to line up the 170 for a lock.

Sparrow would try to get the back guns pointed at him but Koll was moving all over the place for Sparrow to get a good shot. Koll was even maneuvering to the blind spots of the back guns. "It's no good! I can't get him!" He said. Maverick's sharp maneuvers were also making it hard for Sparrow to aim properly.

Maverick's mind raced as he considered various ideas to get behind Koll again. One of the ideas he thought of clicked for him and he would advise Nickel and Sparrow about it.

"I'm gonna hit the breaks on him!"

"You serious?" Nickel said, "We could end up hitting each other!"

"If it works though, the Cap flies by and we get a second chance!"

Hearing no further objections from his fellow pilots, Maverick proceeded to arc the nose of his craft up sharply, quickly losing speed. As he had hoped, Koll flew right by.

"Cheeky bastard!" Koll yelled on the comms.

"Fair fights are for suckers, Captain!" Maverick yelled back as he dipped the nose back down and was once again chasing Koll. This time around, it didn't take long for him to lock on to Koll's V-Wing. A continuous ping sounded in Maverick's 170 and a continuous warning sounded in Koll's V-Wing which signaled Maverick's victory for the exercise.

"Oh yeah! Koll's dead!" Maverick shouted in excitement but quickly expected to get chewed out by Koll for his trick. To his surprise though, Koll was laughing instead.

"Haha! Cheeky, kid! Real cheeky! A few more weeks of practice and those droid fighters won't stand a chance! Well, let's head back to base."

Before they could prepare to turn back, Koll received a transmission from Eila.

"General." He responded.

"Captain. Since you and your wingman are already in the air, are you able to conduct a recon mission right now?"

Koll looked over his fuel supply and asked Maverick if his fuel was still good too. Receiving an okay from Maverick, Koll responded to Eila's request. "We can take on a recon mission, General. What's the destination?"

"Mount Tube in the Schwarz Forest in the Kingdom of Elbe. We've gotten word from one of the locals that the fire dragon has settled there. Your orders are to verify that it is there and if you get a chance, try to take it out. RT3 will confirm the kill and help in clean up if you do shoot it down."

"Yes, General." Cutting the transmission, Koll called to Maverick, "Looks like you're getting it good today, kid! You not only won against me but you might just get the chance to take down a flying tank!"

"Yes, sir!" Maverick answered and both craft turned to the direction of the Kingdom of Elbe.

After about an hour and a half of flight, the duo were now flying over the Schwarz Forest.

"Okay, eyes up." Koll called, "When we see the dragon, we'll attack together."

"Yes, sir." Maverick responded.

Doing a flyby over Mount Tube and looking intently for a flying red reptile, both pilots were disappointed not to see anything after having screened the area for the next four hours.

"Do you think the intel was wrong, sir?" Maverick questioned.

"Don't know. The intel came from a local so it should be solid. Maybe it moved on." Koll answered.

"Maybe, Captain. The locals don't exactly have quick transport or sophisticated communication lines. Intel from them could be useless within a few hours."

Turning his V-Wing back towards the direction of Alnus and Maverick following suit, Koll was just about to send a transmission back to base that they haven't found the fire dragon and declaring the mission over until he saw movement on his low left. Squinting a bit, he realized that the red speck that caught his eye was indeed the fire dragon flying in the opposite direction from them.

He called to Maverick, "We just got lucky! Tally, one bandit, 9 o'clock low."

"Yep, I see it, Captain. Lock S-foils into attack position." Maverick called to Nickel.

"It doesn't know we're here. Commence attack."

Maverick confirmed and both craft moved into a diving attack position. Unfortunately for them, Maverick's 170 hadn't been loaded with proton torpedoes since he and Koll were expecting to return to base after their exercise and Koll's V-Wing isn't able to equip a launcher. Fortunately for them, Koll's V-Wing had its rapid-fire laser cannons and Maverick's 170 had medium laser cannons that are rated to punch through capital ship armor, which should be enough for the beast. Approaching for an attack run, both pilots expected to kill the fire dragon in a single pass.

Unfortunately for them again, the dragon wasn't a fool. Despite its vision being impaired on its left side, its hearing was still sharp. Hearing the growing whine of ion engines approaching from behind it, the dragon stopped mid-air and quickly turned its front to its attackers. The sudden stop caused both Koll and Maverick to overshoot. Seeing them clearly with its undamaged eye, the dragon began spewing fire at the pilots who began ascending, aborting the run.

While Koll quickly sped away, Maverick wasn't as fast. "Oh, shit!" Sparrow yelled as streams of fire began filling his view.

"Sparrow, are you alright?!" Maverick yelled back.

"I'm—I'm good." Sparrow said and tried to move and fire the back guns, but wasn't getting any input, "Back guns are down. I think that blasted lizard melted the barrels."

"Another pass." Koll called and both starfighters turned around and dived again.

While the dragon wasn't as fast as them in its attempts to try and catch them, Koll was noticing that it was certainly more maneuverable than them as any time they were about to get a good shot on it, the dragon would move wildly to throw off their aim. It was even throwing off his aim even though he was in a starfighter that was easily on par with the nimble droid tri-fighters. A few more passes were attempted with similar results. Getting tired of playing with it, Maverick pulled away.

"Kid! Maintain formation!" Koll called.

"Sir, we should attack from multiple directions. That beast can't deal with both of us coming at it from different locations especially with its screwed up vision!"

Consenting to Maverick's idea, Koll turned his craft around again and moved from a different position than from where Maverick would make his attack run. With its impaired vision, the dragon couldn't see Koll from its position but it could see Maverick. Maverick let loose with a barrage of laser fire but the dragon swiftly avoided it. When he passed by, the dragon shot some fire breath which scored a hit and damaged the left engine.

"Engine one, flame out!" Nickel yelled to Maverick. Unable to ascend rapidly and the starfighter's speed decreasing, the dragon took it as an opportunity to start chasing the 170. Sparrow would be treated to the wonderful view of seeing the dragon's rows of teeth slowly getting closer.

"Uhh, Maverick?" He would nervously say as he unwittingly pressed on the trigger for his guns even though they were already disabled.

"Come on, Nickel! Get it started!" Maverick ordered.

"It's no good! Restart failed! Our astromech doesn't know how to diagnose the problem!" Nickel answered as he went over the restart procedure and consulting with the astromech again.

Seeing that the dragon was distracted, Koll swooped in to save his student. The dragon was far too focused on Maverick that it had forgotten Koll was still in the fight.

"Don't worry, I got you kid." Koll said as he got behind the dragon and fired his laser cannons. Unfortunately, the dragon's skin was able to resist the barrage with plenty of fragmented scales flying off. His cannons simply weren't powerful enough to overcome the dragon's naturally heat resistant scales so he decided to adjust his aim and began targeting its wings. The wings proved to be thinner as his shots perforated the wings with holes. The dragon roared in pain and began to hobble as its ability to fly had been compromised. The dragon crashed into the forest below them.

"Oh, yeah! Nice shooting, Captain!" Maverick called.

Turning around for another pass, Koll intended to finish the dragon off since it was now grounded. Regrettably, despite being a large animal, the dragon had disappeared into the forest canopy. Koll clicked his tongue and how stubborn the beast was as he circled the crash site but despite having sensors that could locate it in the forest, he decided to head back to base with his wingman since he wasn't sure if Maverick's 170 was going to be able to make it back.

A tense three hour flight back, Maverick was able to land his 170 without further incident. Some of the maintenance engineers would yell at him for being reckless as the barrels of the back guns and the underside and cowling of the left engine had melted. The engineers fumed as while the back guns would be easy to replace, the state of the left engine meant that it would have to be completely removed and replaced with a new engine, which meant hours of work having to make sure it was in tune with the rest of the starfighter. The damage was also severe enough that it was better to scrap the damaged engine than repair it. There would be some surprised engineers though that the fire dragon's breath had managed to melt the engine casing and the underside of the internal structure. It surprised them that the fire dragon's breath was so hot since the ARC-170 and generally all of the Republic's starfighters, should be able to withstand intense heat, otherwise they would never be able to enter the atmosphere of a planet.

Despite the anger from some of the maintenance crew, Maverick could at least brag that he successful distracted the beast, which gave Koll a chance to wound it to the point that it was unlikely to be flying again in the near future. When word reached the rest of the base, there were some optimistic boasts flying around that the fire dragon should be easy to deal with now since it could no longer fly away from a fight if it was cornered. Still, when word reached Fordo, he remained unconvinced that it would be an easy detail as he requisitioned for more ordinance to finish the job for the next day.

* * *

When Koll dropped off both his and Maverick's report about the recon mission, Eila was disturbed that the fire dragon continued to persist. An ARC-170 and a V-Wing, even without torpedoes should have been enough. She had secretly hoped that RT3s mission would have just been for cleanup but she was now doubting if they could even succeed in killing it. What Senator Dod said about her during the Senate session was also biting at her. Calling Fordo to her office, she changed his orders. He and RT3 would stay at base and help in preparing various measures before meeting with the Empire's Senators. She intended to kill the fire dragon alone.

"General, I must protest." Fordo said, "Going after the fire dragon alone is far too reckless."

She sighed, "I know, but I won't risk your lives for this. You've already had some difficulty fighting it and the starfighters we sent only crippled it. Not to mention that we've also lost thirteen troopers to it!"

"I understand but we have the ordinance, General. We're better equipped than the last time we faced it and better equipped now than any other recon team before. Besides, better us clones than a J—"

"Enough!" She interrupted, "You're not expendable! Not me. And not to any Jedi who believes in you and your brothers."

While Fordo appreciated her sentiment, it was still too dangerous, "I'm sorry General, but I still must protest."

"I understand, but I'm not changing your orders back."

He sighed, "Then I must inform you General that my only choice is to lodge a formal complaint to the Jedi Order and to the Military Oversight Committee."

She thought about what that would mean for her but chose not to care about the consequences.

"Do what you need to do." She said, "Dismissed."

Fordo saluted but before he could leave, Eila asked him to wait a moment and said, "Don't tell, Wrench."

He silently left the office.

* * *

Packing up one of the last remaining modified speeders that hadn't been scrapped yet with the thermal detonators and rocket launchers Fordo asked for in the early morning, Eila was almost ready to leave. She left enough space in the speeder for Yao to be with her since she didn't know the locals. To explain her absence, she lied to Wrench the night before that she was going to Italica to talk to Myui and her father, about economics and lied that Fordo's mission had been put on hold for further intelligence gathering. Picking up another pack of thermal detonators and directing Yao to pick up another pair of rocket launchers, she would be startled when someone started talking to her.

"Oh my! Oh my! Aren't you being naughty, Eila?"

Turning around, she saw Rory, Lelei, and Tuka standing before her.

"Wha—What are you three doing here?" Realizing their only reason for being up this early, she asked, "Did Fordo tell you?"

Rory made no attempt to disguise it, "Oh yes! The good Captain told us what you were going to do."

Lelei spoke up next, "You will need assistance to deal with the fire dragon. If you refuse to call on your men, at least call upon us."

"Yes! And you can't order us not to come with you because we're not in your military!" Tuka said.

"Well, I can always order my men to make you stay." Eila countered.

"Oh, but if you were to do that then we'll have tell the Commander what you're up to." Rory casually stated.

Not seeing a way out, Eila reluctantly agreed for them to join, "Fine. But, if you're coming with me, we'll need a bigger ride."

* * *

_Author's Note_: Just a little note that I will obviously not fully disclose how this story will continue or end. I also have to say that, while I'm grateful for all the suggestions you've posted for how my story should go on, you should all probably reconsider to avoid disappoint if what you want to happen, doesn't come to pass. I'm sorry but I just wanted to say this as a little cautionary note on expectations.

Now, with Krell, I've actually hinted in an earlier chapter that Wrench did not like his previous General at all and Crom said it out loud when he and Eila first meet and was the basis for Crom's suspicions in the first place when he would report to Palpatine.


	12. Elves And Dragons

"This is quite enjoyable." Lelei told Tuka as she pulled on the controls of the TX-130T they were riding in.

Lelei had gotten a quick five minute lesson on how to handle the controls by Eila. Tuka quietly observed as she was to replace Lelei when she got tired of it. Eila herself was taking the time to go over some documents she would have done back at the base while Rory was at the gunner position with her head poking out enjoying the breeze. Yao remained silent, feeling content that it was only a matter of time before the fire dragon is dead. They would all rotate the driver position since their trip was going to take some time.

Their trip to the Schwarz Forest would take a little under a day and a half. Speeders would have gotten them there within a day but the 130 wasn't as fast. It was at least faster than an AT-TE. Still, they would eventually enter the Schwarz Forest soon enough when Yao would pointed it out when the treeline came into view. Yao would direct them to enter the valleys the Tuba Mountain range had, a little bit beyond the Forest. She insisted on them visiting her people first so that they would know she had brought help back. She would tell them her people had taken refuge in the caves the valleys had since being out in the Forest made them easy targets for the dragon. Exiting the tank, Eila questioned where Yao's people were.

"They should be around here." Yao said as she began looking around.

Unfortunately, going into a cave that she knew her people lived in before she left, it had turned out to be empty. Looking around the landscape, Yao kept an eye out for anything leading to her clan's current whereabouts. The surrounding landscape was barren with very little indicators that anyone had been around recently. Eila suspected that this was their way of avoiding detection from the fire dragon. Observing the rocks intently, Yao spotted a small unnatural marking on one of them. Realizing what the marking is, she told them to follow her. Taking the tank with them and delving deeper into the valley, they visited multiple caves that had the marking but they were all vacant with no evidence that anyone had even took up residence. After wandering around for the better part of a few hours, Yao was becoming worried that her people had either fled to where she can't find them or they had all been taken by the fire dragon. Taking a break from visiting another empty cave, Rory came close to Eila who sitting on the side of the tank.

Rory sighed in frustration, "How much longer is this going to take? Can't we kill that dragon already? We know where it is."

"Patience." Eila said, "We do know that the dragon is at Mount Tube but since Captain Koll crippled it, it may be somewhere else. We need Yao's people to confirm if it's still there."

Rory continued to pout about the long wait but would change the subject, "Eila, pull out your arm to me."

"Why?"

"Please, just do it."

Pulling up her sleeve, Eila wasn't quite sure what Rory was about to do until she took her arm and Eila felt her intent. Sensing what Rory was about to do, Eila quickly yanked her arm away just a Rory got her mouth close.

"Why did you do that?!" Rory complained, "I wanted to establish a contract with you!"

"By biting me?!"

"That's how we make contracts! We need your blood!"

"Forget it! Why do you want to make a contract with me anyway?!"

"To protect you!"

Eila stopped in surprise. She wasn't expecting Rory to just blurt out something selfless like that.

Rory continued, "The fire dragon is a dangerous beast. Creating a contract ensures that you won't be hurt. This is merely returning the favor for giving me a place. So, hold out your arm."

While Eila certainly felt flattered by Rory's sentiment, she would explain to her, "Thank you, Rory. But you don't have to worry about me. When we face the fire dragon, we'll fight together and come home together." Eila thought on her statement since they weren't '_all_' technically fighting together.

Rory felt disappointed that she couldn't form the contract but she did feel optimistic that Eila is adamant that they will win. With their break finished, Yao was about to point them to another potential spot her clan might be at until Eila sensed a presence around them. Surely enough, they were immediately surrounded by a group of dark elves from every angle with their bows drawn. Although, as soon as they saw Yao, they dropped their hostility.

"Yao!" One of them called.

"Met! Where did you all go?" Yao said.

"We had to move again. The fire dragon increased its attacks against us after you left."

"Oh…but I've returned with help." She pointed to Eila.

"Her? I thought they were supposed to be a group of armored men?"

"She called them off for another job. She'll deal with the fire dragon."

Met smirked, "Kind of arrogant isn't it? One woman can't deal with that beast."

Eila spoke up, "I've brought weapons that can deal with the fire dragon."

"Oh! That's right! You're special magic weapons. Anyway, please come with us. You'll need to meet our elders."

Making their way further down the valley, they would finally enter the cave the dark elves were currently occupying. Rory fidgeted nervously as they went deeper into it. Looking around as they made their way to see the elders, Eila could see the many elves lining the rocky walls were looking absolutely miserable. Many of them looked malnourished. Reaching a large chamber in the cave, the group would be greeted by the dark elf elders.

Taking a seat in a circle, one of the elders started, "Welcome. We are pleased to be graced with your presence your holiness." The elder bowed to Rory and she returned the gesture. The elder continued, "And you must be related to the armored men."

"Yes," Eila answered, "I am General Eila Deova of the Grand Army of the Republic."

"A General?! For you to come all this way here must mean you have a personal vendetta against the dragon, do you not?"

"No. Not really. I just want to kill the dragon so that it stops being a threat to my men."

"Hmm, I see."

"If you please, can you tell us where the fire dragon is?"

"Yes. It still lingers at Mount Tube in its underground nest but its behaviour has become peculiar recently."

"Recently?"

"Yes. Before, the beast actively hunted us despite our best efforts to conceal our movements but around two days ago, the fire dragon has not ventured very far from its nest since. Our scouts have seen holes in its wings. It seems to have lost its ability to take flight."

"I see." Eila said feigning ignorance on the dragon's current condition.

"To defeat the fire dragon, we are willing to send some of our own to assist you. The young ones among us don't want to wait around for the dragon to die."

"Thank you for your offer of assistance and I understand the feelings your people have towards the dragon but we won't need your help." Eila bluntly stated.

"Oh?! But why, General?"

"I'm sorry, but don't feel insulted. Not accepting your help isn't out of some arrogant notion of overestimating our abilities. I'd just rather not risk more lives for this. Besides, even if I were to give a five minute lesson to your people on how to use our weapons, your people are likely to panic at the sight of the dragon when they're wielding an unfamiliar weapon. So I must refuse."

The elder nodded, "Hmm, I understand, General. I'll have to talk them out of it. But please, stay the night. Regain your strength before your hunt."

"Thank you. With your permission, I'd like to give your people some food and medical supplies."

The elder's face brightened at the suggestion, "Yes please do, General!"

Getting up, Eila asked Lelei, Tuka, Rory, and Yao to help her dispense the supplies but the elder would ask for Yao to stay. Once they were out of earshot, the elders would mention to Yao that her fortunes must be looking up since she brought a woman instead of a man. The elders would lightly joke to her about her chronic bad luck with men.

Back with the tank, Eila handed what extra food and medical supplies they could spare. As she gave another aid kit for Rory to carry, Eila would question her, "Rory, you seemed tense during that meeting. What's wrong?"

Rory hesitated for a bit but replied, "I—I don't exactly enjoy being underground."

"Underground? Why?"

"B—Because that's Hardy's realm."

"Hardy?" Eila then remembered that she had taken the time to learn about some of the gods in the Special Region from Lelei, "That's the goddess of the underworld, isn't it?"

"Y—Yes! And I'd rather not spend my last years being her bride!"

"A bride? Seriously?"

"Yes! She tried to get me a few times when I've ventured underground. I'd rather not take the chance see her again if I were to go underground again."

While Eila understood Rory's reason, she wondered what she would do with the fire dragon. "Rory, what are you going to do then when we face the fire dragon tomorrow? We'll have to go underground to reach it."

Rory's tone immediately changed as she gleefully replied, "I'll cheer you on from outside!"

Eila gave her a look as she couldn't quite believe that for all of Rory's skills as a merciless warrior, she was afraid of the underground. Still, Eila couldn't judge her too harshly given that their are plenty of people back home who were scared of going underground for far more mundane reasons. They at least didn't have a goddess gunning for their hand in an unwanted marriage.

* * *

The next day, Eila, Rory, Lelei, Tuka, and Yao finally made their way to Mount Tube. Although, as they approached the mountain, they had to leave the tank behind since the path to the dragon's cave was too narrow. To take all the supplies with them, Eila had brought a repulsorlift table that would follow them along. Yao would pass on some intelligence she had been told by the elders and by the elves who wanted to join them the day before.

"The fire dragon has made its nest inside the caldera of Mount Tube."

Eila looked back at Yao out concern of that the mountain might be more dangerous than the dragon.

Yao would reassure her, "Don't worry, General. The mountain is no longer active." She would state.

"How do we get in?"

"The tunnel that leads to the dragon's cave is not too high up on the mountain. Met and his scouts had a good look at its nest when it was sleeping by taking that path. Met and his scouts say that it climbs out of the opening now rather than fly out."

Feeling confident in what they were about to do, Eila gave her order to Rory who would stay outside, "If the fire dragon tries to run out of the mountain, kill it. It should be much easier for you since it can't fly."

"Oh yeah! Sure thing!"

"Here, have this communicator. Just tap the button and we'll be able to talk." She handed Rory a comlink.

Leaving Rory to herself, the rest entered the tunnel. As they walked through it, Tuka would mention that she could see small glistening shards of crystal all over the place. Lelei would mention that they were mostly irrelevant. The small crystals they were seeing weren't valuable. Only larger crystals were coveted. However, Eila felt strange as they continued to walk. She couldn't explain it to herself. Upon reaching the dragon's nest, she gauged the layout of the chamber. Luckily, the chamber was unoccupied at the moment but it was definitely large enough to actually house a litter of dragons. A concept that unsettled her and made her suspicious when she saw broken eggshells nearby. Lelei would try to comfort her that the eggs were clearly years old and that there had been no other sightings of other fire dragons. Still, she remained suspicious. Another thing that was clearly years old were all the scattered weapons lying around. Some were broken while others were either rusted or just needed a quick wash. Yao would grab one and mention that it was an enchanted blade of elvish make but it didn't belong to her clan. Lelei would deduce these weapons were from all the people who had chosen to challenge the fire dragon and were obviously killed for it.

Wasting little time, Eila would task the others to take a pack of thermal detonators and begin planting them all around the place. She would bury a full pack under where she assumed the dragon was sleeping judging from all the flattened dust compared to the rest of the chamber. Using the Force to help dig and conceal the pack made the work go by faster. She intended to bury the dragon under rocks when it returned and when it got close to the ground, the pack would finish it. Once everyone had finished their jobs, they retreated back to the exit of the tunnel and waited. Eila armed the detonators and a faint pinging sounded signaling the explosives were ready. Despite the trap being set, she kept the repulsorlift table close to her that now only had rocket launchers on it. She didn't want to take a chance if the plan was unsuccessful. After waiting for almost two hours, Eila's comlink began to sound and Rory would notify them of the fire dragon's approach.

"It's here." Rory said, "It hasn't seen me but it's climbing up to the caldera."

Acknowledging Rory's report and readying her thumb on the remote for all the detonators the others scattered, Eila and the rest of them began to feel vibrations all around them as the fire dragon began its descent into the chamber. Unfortunately, the fire dragon was no fool. It stopped midway in its descent as it could tell its nest had been disturbed and it could hear the faint pinging of the thermal detonators. As soon as Eila realized it had figured out what they had done, she lunged to grab a rocket launcher but before she could even fully grasp one, the fire dragon began shooting its flames all around the chamber walls. The intense heat of its fire caused the detonators to either melt or go off prematurely. The force of the explosions that came with it knocked them all down while the dragon dropped to the chamber floor, content that its flames had dealt with the detonators and itching to find its prey.

As Eila picked herself up, she looked around for the rocket launchers which were now buried along with the repulsorlift table by rocks. Thinking of what to do next without that ordinance, she noticed that Tuka was on her knees frozen in terror as she looked upon the fire dragon. Eila then realized she had brought Tuka without thinking that facing the fire dragon would be traumatizing to her. Surely enough, Tuka began to mutter on about her father. She went into inconsistent rambling of questioning where he was, to placing blame upon herself for getting him killed. Tuka would go into random bouts of hysterical screaming and laughter when she couldn't find an answer. Her screams and laughter would attract the fire dragon right to them as the dragon locked its eyes on them. Just as it began to breathe its flames at them, Eila jumped in front of everyone and used the Force to block the flames. Seeing that its flames weren't going to finish the job this time around, the dragon began to approach them intending to crush them with its own strength.

Eila quickly gave orders, "Yao! Help me distract it! Lelei! Take Tuka and get out of here!"

Yao would ready the bow she brought with her and moved in the opposite direction to where Eila would try to distract the dragon. While Yao distracted the dragon by taking potshots at it and Eila approached it directly with her lightsaber drawn, Lelei had thought of dragging Tuka out but decided against it. She realized that this needed to end. Ever since she met Tuka, she knew something was wrong with her. As time passed and she hung out with Tuka for longer periods back at the base when they weren't travelling or were with the clones, she had pieced together that Tuka blames herself for the fire dragon killing her father. She knew Captain Fordo and the other clones had taken notice of Tuka's condition and had likely informed Eila about it but they had chosen not to act which she deduced as them simply respecting Tuka's privacy. While Lelei understood their reasons, she knew Tuka needed closure and getting revenge on the fire dragon would be the simplest way of doing it.

Walking to Tuka, Lelei shook her out of her hysteria, "Tuka!" She shouted in which if Eila had been paying attention to her, it would have looked out of character for her.

She continued, "Tuka, fight! That thing killed your father! So fight and avenge him!"

"B—But I know he's alive! He's just—"

"He is gone! Look! Look!" Lelei took hold of Tuka's head and forced her gaze on the fire dragon, "Remember, Tuka! Remember what happened to your home!"

Unpleasant memories began flooding back to Tuka as she remembered her father in her village's final moments. She remembered him dragging her by the arm knowing that the battle against the fire dragon was lost. She remembered the well that her father pushed her into. She finally remembered catching one last glimpse of him as she fell before he was consumed by the flames.

"N—No! **No!**" She tried to fight Lelei's control over her head.

"Do not avert your gaze!"

"N—No! H—He died. He died saving me!"

"Do not blame yourself! I know losing your father is terrible. I am sure, it is something you will never truly overcome. But you lost your father to that beast just as I have lost my home and my friends to it too. Look!" She moved Tuka's head to see Eila and Yao, "Our new friends fight for us! If you at least want to find some peace for your father, we can honor his sacrifice and the many others that beast has taken now if we fight! Do not let our new friends die to it too!" Letting go of her head and standing in front of her, Lelei offered her hand, "Fight with us."

Feeling Lelei's impassioned words, Tuka found a renewed sense of confidence and a redirected rage as she took her hand and nodded. She immediately began muttering a spell calling on lightning to strike the fire dragon down.

As she continued with her lengthy spell, Lelei turned her attention back to the dragon where she had intended to cast an explosion spell she had been working on ever since they returned from Coruscant. Unfortunately, she decided against it as she could see that Eila was too close and she wasn't quite sure how destructive her spell would be. She did limited testing back at the base and it was certainly powerful as her teacher commented on its strength. To her, it seemed to have the same explosive power of at least two thermal detonators. Although, she feared it could bring the mountain down upon them if it were to miss its target since the dragon constantly danced around to Yao and Eila's actions.

While Lelei considered other options, Eila took a swipe with her lightsaber against the dragon. Her saber connected but didn't give a deep enough cut. The dragon thrashed because of the cut and while she ducked out of its way, she felt like she was trying to cut through a blast door whenever she attacked. She came to resent the dragon's scales as its heat resistant properties offered some protection against her saber. The scales were also causing problems for Yao as her arrows couldn't pierce them but her actions would serve as a useful distraction to divide the dragon's attention.

Continuing the fight, Lelei eventually saw a solution. Taking one of the many metal weapons that littered the chamber, she used a levitation spell to throw it at the dragon. Seeing a need for more speed as the weapon had bounced off, she took another one which managed to pierce its scales. Feeling giddy at the result, she invoked a stronger levitation spell, which took all of the fallen weapons and positioned them to pierce the dragon all over.

"General! Ms. Dushi!" She called, "Move away from it!"

Hearing her call, Eila and Yao backed off as Lelei sent all the weapons at the fire dragon, effectively turning it into a pin cushion. Timing it in conjunction with Tuka's spell, Lelei called to her, "Tuka, send that lightning on all of the weapons! Electrocute it!"

Complying with her demand, Tuka's sent a powerful lightning strike on the dragon which was amplified by all the metal weapons sticking out of it. The dragon howled in pain as it dropped to the ground right on top of the pack of explosives Eila had buried. Reacting quickly, Eila asked everyone to head into the tunnel. Running into the tunnel with them, Eila pulled out the remote detonator and set off the last batch of explosives.

**BOOM!**

The pressure wave and the resulting plume of dust knocked them all on the ground in the tunnel. For a few moments, they no longer heard any continued roars or heavy breathing but only the occasional sound of a boulder falling. The explosion had also made the tunnel's opening into the chamber bigger. Tuka burst into cheers.

"Y—Yes! Yes!" She shouted and then began crying in between laughs, "I—I did it, father! I finally did it!"

Getting up, Eila noticed that Lelei had a smug grin on her dusty face. Yao was also in tears but smiling, feeling that a great weight was finally off of her. Believing that the explosives had done their job, Eila was about to declare their mission over until the happiness from the others faces suddenly faded.

Feeling a dangerous intent behind her, Eila turned and saw the fire dragon's head in the tunnel opening. Still alive, with its mouth open, and ready to send out its fire. Raising both hands, she stopped the point blank shot with the Force. The intensity of the flames being so close began to push her back as Lelei, Tuka, and Yao cowered behind her not believing that the dragon continued to endure despite all the damage it had taken.

'_How?!_' Eila thought, '_How is this thing still alive?!_'

Unfortunately, the fire dragon was quite the hardy creature. The explosives had indeed given it a mortal wound as there is now a gaping hole in its torso and most of its digestive organs had spilled out or been obliterated. But it had a sheer rage for them at being continually humiliated that the dragon intended to take them with it in death.

Feeling her powers waning as the palms of her hands were starting to burn from the intense heat, Eila felt panic as she was starting to regret her choice at doing the job alone without her troopers. More regrets began to fill her head. She hadn't seen a complete end to either war in the Special Region or back home. She hadn't found her friend or any of the missing people. She most of all regretted not confiding in Wrench. Senator Dod's words during the hearing had gotten under her skin. Doubts in her troopers' abilities to always come home since the attacks on the other recon teams and on Koll and his wingman had affected her choice in handling the fire dragon. Wrench would have chastised her for being headstrong in her choice. He would have also told her to forget about the things that bothered her and just do the right thing. The right thing would have been for all of them to take it on together with superior firepower at their side.

Being reminded of him, Eila felt a growing resolve as she thought to herself, '_No! I won't die here! Not now!_'

Unbeknownst to her or to Lelei, Tuka, and Yao, the crystal shards they passed by earlier in the tunnel began to glow. Feeling a sudden surge of power in the Force and a determination to not die just yet, Eila forcefully pushed her hands forward and she managed to knock the dragon's head back out of the tunnel. The fire dragon recoiled at the invisible force that had pushed it back but intended to continue its murderous intent with its last bits of strength. Not wanting to give it another chance, Eila quickly approached it and pushed both her palms down. Suddenly, the fire dragon felt as if the whole world was now on top of its body. Eila intended to flatten the dragon into paste. The dragon tried to resist the pressure but she continued to press down.

Continuing and increasing the power in the Force, she got a good look at the dragon's eyes. They were heavily bloodshot as the pressure was forcing blood into its eyes. Despite that, she could see that the dragon's rage was now replaced with fear.

'_Good_.' She thought as she clasped her hands together to deal the deathblow. A sickening crunch soon followed as the dragon's bones and remaining internal organs collapsed in on itself. The walls of the chamber would become awash with brain matter, blood, and bodily fluids that spilled out of every orifice. Eila stopped pressing down and admired the result.

'_Heh._' She thought before losing consciousness.

Falling to the ground, the others called out to her as they all rushed to her side. They were all partly concerned about her and partly terrified to never try to anger her having seen that impressive display of power. Tuka quickly cast a healing spell as she also got a good look at Eila's severely burnt hands. Waiting for the healing spell's effect to take hold, Lelei, Tuka, and Yao looked over to the flattened remains of the fire dragon. While they were certainly happy that this time it was definitely dead, they also felt a somewhat uncomfortable taste in victory given the method that was done to finish off the dragon. They didn't feel pity for the dragon; more disgusted that its innards now decorated the walls. However, that unpleasant feeling quickly faded as they refocused their thoughts that all the people they had lost to it, had finally been avenged. Continuing to stare at the fallen beast, they turned their attention back to Eila who began to stir.

"General?" Lelei questioned.

Still feeling groggy, Eila managed to answer as she looked up into Lelei's face, "Y—Yeah?"

"You have completed the mission. The fire dragon is dead." She said having returned to her usual monotone.

"T—That's good." She replied as she tried to stand herself up. But she would cry out in pain and fall back into Lelei's lap, feeling as if hot needles were embedded all over her hands.

Tuka spoke up, "Hang on! Take it easy. You're hands haven't completely healed."

Relaxing into Lelei's lap while waiting for the healing spell to finish, she remembered what she had put Tuka through. She would apologize to her after a brief silence, "Tuka, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in this situation. Memories of your father must have been…difficult when you saw that thing."

Tuka didn't answer immediately feeling some surprise that Eila had surmised she dwelled on her father, but she shook her head as she responded, "You don't need to apologize, General. I knew, somewhere deep down that my father had passed on from this world but I didn't want to believe it. I constantly searched for him. Disappointing myself when I couldn't find him and spiraling into a deeper pit of despair because of it. I only hurt myself in the process and made everyone worry." She turned her gaze to Lelei, "I needed this. The satisfaction that the fire dragon will never hurt anyone again. To _move_ on. My father would have wanted that." Lelei nodded back to her.

Eila didn't answer back but instead slowly got up as Tuka finished her spell. Turning to see the results for herself again that the fire dragon was truly dead, she now felt conflicted when earlier, she had felt satisfaction. Her conflict arose from having allowed her emotions to dictate her actions But, she reasoned to herself that it was necessary, to protect her own life and that of her friends. Sighing, she declared the mission complete.

* * *

Making their way back to Rory outside, Eila noticed that the crystals they passed by earlier seemed to glisten more brightly than before. While Lelei continued to dismiss its importance that only larger ones were useful, Eila became curious as to why she now felt drawn to them. She hadn't felt that way earlier when they first entered, only feeling strange when she did pass by them. Picking one up, she was starting to feel that she knew exactly what this crystal was but was still skeptical. To know for certain, she decided to pocket one and send it back back home to Coruscant. Before she could contemplate further on if the crystals were exactly what she believed them to be, they all heard heavy crashes at the end of the tunnel. Rushing to the tunnel's exit and out into the world again, they would be greeted by Rory who was using her halberd to keep herself standing, looking a little roughed up.

"Geez!" She complained, "You guys certainly took your sweet time!"

"What happened?!" Tuka questioned as they all rushed to her side.

"Oh, just her!" Rory pointed to the blue-skinned winged humanoid woman she had been fighting.

"My, oh my, Sister Rory! In a straight fight, I wouldn't have been able to beat you. Maybe only drive you away, perhaps. But, it seems to me your time with humans and elves has dulled your skills. Rather troublesome for an Apostle! You were distracted during our whole fight because of them!" The woman said as she whipped her scythe around and pointed at Eila, Lelei, Tuka, and Yao.

"_Come a little closer and say that directly to my face._" Rory threatened. The woman laughed it off. While the woman continued laughing, Eila would question Rory what happened to her comlink and she would say that the woman had crushed it early in their fight. Understanding the situation better and stepping in front of Rory, Eila questioned who the woman was.

"I am Giselle! Apostle of the Goddess Hardy! I was a little confused as to why my fellow Apostle was lingering around this mountain but I took this as an opportunity to deliver Sister Rory to Hardy to become her bride. Now I can see you are the reason why she was here. Speak! Tell me why you are here?"

Seeing no reason to lie, Eila bluntly stated, "To kill a fire dragon."

Giselle's face changed to one of confusion, "Huh? Kill a fire dragon? Rather bold for a mere human to make such a claim."

"We already did it."

"What?"

"We already did it. The fire dragon is already dead. You can see for yourself."

Giselle grimaced as she couldn't see any indicator on Eila's face that she was lying or acting arrogantly. Eyeing them suspiciously, she flew off to the caldera.

After a moment, Yao spoke up, "Are we going to wait for her?"

"No." Eila said and turned to Rory, "Let's get you cleaned up." Helping Rory along, they all began to walk down the mountain back to the tank they left behind.

However, they wouldn't get very far as Eila would ignite her lightsaber and lock her saber with Giselle's scythe who had quickly flown back to them. While Giselle was surprised that something could parry her scythe and that it was a blade of light, she was absolutely furious at what they had done.

"You're going to pay for that!" She hissed. Eila shrugged off her attack and Giselle moved back, ready to strike again. "I'm going to carve you and your little friends to bits. And Sister Rory will get the front row seat to your screams." She threatened. Raising her scythe, two medium sized dragons would land next to her. While Tuka, Lelei, and Yao would be shocked that there were more, Eila frowned that her suspicion about the eggshells she saw earlier came true.

"It was you!" Yao yelled out, "You awoke the fire dragon!" Giselle didn't respond to her. "Why!" Yao continued, "Why attack my clan! We worship Hardy!"

"Because we Apostles, like the gods, are not supposed to sympathize with lesser beings." Rory answered as she readied for another bout.

"Quite right, Sister Rory! You lesser beings are just cattle! You should all be just minding your own business and wait for the slaughter!"

Yao gritted her teeth at the callousness of the gods. As Rory readied to strike back, she would be stopped by Eila. Stepping forward again, she said, "And that just how it's supposed to be?"

"Huh?" Giselle reacted.

"Is that how it's supposed to be? I've read what Apostles are supposed to do around here." She looked over to Lelei before looking back at Giselle, "You cull civilizations that grow too big for their own good. A sensible idea if it was to curb reckless power. But you don't do that. You just destroy anyone who can potentially challenge your power. It's the reason why there's very little progress around here, whether it be societal or technological. You and the gods live in fear of what 'lesser beings' can do."

Giselle's face contorted in anger as she shouted, "Shut up! You dare insult us, human! Towato! Mowto! Time to avenge your mother!"

Before she could make the first move, she would hear Eila respond, "I'm no ordinary human."

Suddenly, Giselle felt herself getting lifted not under her own power. She was confused at what was holding her in place and would see Eila's hands raised against her. Unable to break whatever was holding her, she whistled for her two pets to attack. Her bloodlust would soon be drained as she would be casually smacked onto a rock face and be held there. She would then gawk in absolute terror as she would see the heads of her pets crushed by an unknown force and there bodies tossed aside. She began to tearing up having invested a lot of time in caring for them while their mother did the business Hardy wanted.

She tried to thrash wildly, trying to break the hold on her, "I'll kill you!" She screamed, "I'll kill you for that!"

Seeing she hadn't learned her weaker position here, Eila decided to smack her hard against the rocks a few more times. At this point, Eila didn't want to bother engaging in a prolonged battle. She still felt tired fighting the fire dragon despite Tuka's healing spell. She just wanted this over. And seeing that Fordo was going to report her for this mission to the Temple and the Military Oversight Committee, she felt she didn't have much left to lose acting this way. A few more hard smacks later and Giselle was reduced to a bloody mess.

"S—Stop…" She weakly begged, "N—N—No more…"

Eila dropped Giselle before their feet. Crouching down to her level, Eila whispered into Giselle's ear while showing the Galactic Roundel on a piece of her armor, "If you or anyone who threatens the people of this world ever see this insignia of the Galactic Republic, I suggest you all turn around."

Before they could leave Giselle in the mess she was in, they would all be interrupted at the sight of a flight of ARC-170s fly overhead and three LAATs land near them. Troopers began securing the area as Fordo and the rest of RT3 came to greet them. Wrench would come up behind them.

"General." Fordo saluted.

Eila was stunned that Wrench was there with them but she returned the gesture. Wrench would motion to her to join him privately as Tuka, Lelei, and Yao regaled Fordo and the others on what has happened. Ramius would take Rory aside to clean up her appearance but her injuries were healing well enough on their own. Other troopers would secure Giselle, taking her prisoner based on the quick info Tuka, Lelei, and Yao had to say about her. She didn't resist having been overwhelmed at sight of the newcomers and not wanting to experience getting thrown around again if she did.

Alone with Wrench, Eila began to explain herself, "W—Wrench, I…"

"No, Eila." He interrupted. Eila prepared herself as Wrench's tone was unusually calm for someone that she could feel was angry with her, "You may be my commanding officer and a General but this time, you need keep quiet and listen."

Sighing, he began, "What you just did was perhaps the most reckless and short sighted thing I've ever seen you do. You could have gotten yourself and our friends killed. And since you decided to keep this mission a secret, for all I knew, you could have died and I wouldn't have known about it until I can force it out of Fordo which would practically be impossible for an ARC trooper like him."

She tried to defend herself, "Wrench, I did it to protect…"

"No, no, no." He interrupted her again, "I'm not done. I know you told Fordo not to tell me about the truth behind the change in orders. Don't bother blaming him about ratting you out because he wouldn't tell me why he was trying to get around me in filing a complaint to the Jedi Order and Military Oversight Committee when I caught him. He followed your order to the letter. I eventually figured it out for myself when I went to Italica to look for you with your 'economics' talk with the Count and asked around for those guys." He pointed at Rory, Lelei, Tuka, and Yao, "I couldn't believe it when it all came together for me that you acted on something so stupid."

Eila shrank back feeling his words pierce right through her.

Softening his tone, "Eila, you said that you believed in us. So let us help you fight. I know what you did was to protect us as you always have, but troopers die. That's an unavoidable consequence of war. But remember that in any fight with us, you'll never be alone when we all have to face that consequence."

Satisfied that she felt the full weight of what she did was incredibly stupid, Wrench gave her more enlightening news, "I stopped Fordo from filing the complaint. This is something we're going to keep between the men only. But if you ever try something like this again, I'm not going to stop someone like Fordo from filing a complaint against you and have you removed from command. I've said it before to you, Eila. I wouldn't be a very good Commander if I didn't think about your safety."

Eila didn't respond and simply followed Wrench along as they all boarded to gunship to be taken home.

* * *

_Author's Note_: Well, there you go. The fire dragon's finished. Unfortunately, this will be the last update in a while. I want to give myself some time to write more chapters before releasing them again because I do feel like I'm slowing down. Don't know if it's writer's block coming at me. Regardless, I just wanted to give another thank you to all of you who have followed this story along. I never expected this story to get as much attention as it is.


	13. Meeting

A few weeks had passed since the fire dragon met its end. Giselle remained imprisoned in their brig but she hadn't acted out in any way in demanding to be released and has so far, kept to herself. Additionally, no one had even caught on that the fire dragon was dead. Eila surmised that it was likely because the dark elves were more intent on rebuilding their society rather than spreading gossip. It also helped that after RT5 and Lial with his researchers were finished examining the remains including the offspring, the corpses were to be brought back to base for biohazard disposal. They didn't know what kind of effect the rotting carcass of a fire dragon that has a lot of methane as one of its ingredients for projecting fire might do to what is probably only a dormant volcano. They already set off explosions in it, they didn't want to push their luck for an unintentional secondary especially with the dark elves rebuilding nearby.

While Eila usually ignored whatever the researchers sent, she decided to read their report on the fire dragon before it would be transmitted back to Coruscant. The dragon scales were quite durable, on par with the durability of a blast door as she had expected. They did write a proposal in the report to incorporate the strengths of the scales into a new generation of armor for the clones or for Republic starfighters but Eila suspected that like with the research into the Zillo Beast's scales, creating such an armor would likely cost more than it was worth. They would further note the dragon wings and bone structure made it surprisingly nimble in flight and lighter in weight than the dragon looked. Their estimations on the size of the skull also indicated for the researchers that dragons likely had sentience comparable to humans. Ultimately, while Eila thought of their report as an entertaining read, she would sigh in relief that this finally brought the fire dragon chapter to a close.

As for the crystal she sent as soon as she got back, she still hadn't received a report from the Jedi Temple. Despite lacking evidence from back home to support her suspicion, she was starting to believe that she had come across a kyber crystal. She would ask Lelei about them but she got confused over the terminology. Downgrading it to simply asking what the crystals would be used for, Lelei would mention that larger crystals were sought after because they were useful in enhancing magical spells. They were more valuable to mages than regular people.

Because of the crystal being potentially what she thought it would be, Eila began to wonder if people in the Special Region, regardless of magical talent, had the potential to become Jedi. Wishing she had gotten around to it sooner, she began looking over the medical records of the refugees that were first brought to them if any of them had midichlorians. Strangely, the refugees did not have them, even Lelei, Tuka, and Rory who had shown abilities that could be seen as a manipulation of the Force. She found this to be completely unusual since she had been taught by the Jedi Masters that midichlorians were the basis for all life; without them, life couldn't exist. She equally found it strange that she could still affect things in the Special Region with the Force. She had also been taught that without them permeating all things, the Force essentially couldn't touch it. She began to see it that the Force can exist without them and that midichlorians are likely just a material explanation for the existence of the Force. Despite that, whenever that report on the crystal may come and likely confirm her assumption, the Special Region suddenly became more important to the Jedi than first realized.

With the meeting concerning the Empire's Senators, they finally got the details on where and what was to happen. The Galactic Senate planned accordingly and were sending Senators Padme Amidala and Riyo Chuchi. Although with Chuchi, she would be wearing a holographic disguise to conceal her alien appearance. That technology was confiscated and then duplicated from Obi-Wan's infiltration of Cad Bane's gang to kidnap Palpatine the first time around. For the meeting, the Senators from both sides would converse in solidifying a more permanent peace in beginning formal talks and setting up initiatives to deal with the bandit problem. For the troopers coming along, it would also be a weapons demonstration just to further press the need for peace. Although, this was all being set up as a party by Pina and supported by Count Formal to ease the mood of the Empire's Senators.

Another batch of materials that was going to be sent into space for the shipyards came attached with the two Senators. Meeting the Senators at the Gate, Eila welcomed them with a bow, "Senator Amidala, Senator Chuchi." The Senators returned the bow. "Welcome to the Special Region. This is my second." She gestured to Wrench, "For the meeting, we'll be joined by Recon Teams One, Two, and Three led by Major Castle, Lieutenant Evo, and Captain Fordo, respectively." .

Walking to a convoy of BARC speeders and a trio of TX-130s, they all boarded and were ready to get underway to the Imperial Gardens near the Imperial Capital where the meeting was to be held. The journey would roughly take two days. They unfortunately couldn't use the LAATs to get there quicker. They didn't want to surprise the locals who hadn't seen such machines, at least not yet. Eila would task Wrench with governing the base while she was gone. As they pulled out, Eila would catch a glimpse of Lelei, Tuka, and Rory looking saddened that they weren't joining. She hadn't bothered to invite them knowing they would just get bored of the politics. Yao was also with them looking more indifferent to the situation. Eila was particularly glad not to invite her since she would tell her after their fight with the fire dragon that she was now her property by the order of her elders. Much to her embarrassment, Yao pushed to serve her for every little thing from getting more paper for work documents to spoon feeding a meal to her in the commissary despite bluntly telling Yao multiple times that she doesn't want a slave. Still, she insisted because she felt an obligation to Eila for saving her people.

* * *

While on their way to the Imperial Capital, Senators Amidala and Chuchi would ask Eila of who they were meeting.

"Well, there's Princess Pina," Eila would begin to explain, "She's the daughter of the current Emperor and has been our liaison. You both unfortunately didn't get to meet her during the Senate hearing because she was with the Vice Chancellor and Master Yoda. But, from our interactions with her, she wants to preserve the Empire and is eager to learn from us to make it stronger."

"Is that wise?" Senator Chuchi questioned, "Wouldn't strengthening the Empire give them an incentive to attack?"

Fordo would speak up since he was in the tank's cabin with them, "Unlikely, Senator. We're giving them knowledge, not equipment in exchange for their cooperation. The research, development, and time they have to put in to apply that knowledge is up to them. Given the current state of the Empire in its pace with technological progress, it will take a very long time for them to be a significant threat to us."

Satisfied with the answer, Chuchi would let Eila continue.

"The next few individuals we'll meet will be new for all of us. The first is a Senator…" Eila would go on to explain the various pro-war, pro-peace, and neutral Senators who would be in attendance and what could be done to convince them in cooperating with the Republic.

Eventually, Eila got to the bump in the road Pina had wrote a two paged, front and back letter to her, "While all of the Senators could probably be convinced in one way or another and some of them backing out might not cause too much concern, there is one individual the Princess would like us to avoid even more than the Emperor."

"And who is that?" Senator Amidala questioned.

"It's her brother. Zorzal El Caesar. He's expected to be the next in line for the throne and from what the Princess wrote to me, he would be very much opposed to our talks."

"Is their anyway to convince him that a peaceful solution is the best for the Empire?" Padme said.

Eila shook her head, "No. Zorzal, in the Princess' words, is an idiotic, stubborn, and hedonistic man who solely believes in the superiority of the Empire and its domination over all the peoples of this world. He will never accept a peace between us since he believes that any concession, no matter how small, is a crippling defeat to the Empire."

"Then what is the point of these talks?" Chuchi said, "A person like that in the position of becoming the next leader can very easily derail the whole peace process and we're back to war again."

Padme would answer Chuchi, "I see. The point of these talks is for them to be done secretly. Convince the most prominent of their Senators who make up their Senate who will then move to convince the less stubborn Emperor in comparison. With such vocal support, the Princess' brother will be contained and the worse he can do is simply complain about the peace, maybe convince others to cause chaos. But that chaos would have to be resolved under the Empire's jurisdiction unless it spills to us. Still, even if he were to become the next leader, he cannot act unilaterally without his Senate. If he tries to disband the Senate to push war, he will turn the people against him."

Eila simply gave a quick nod as she would agree with the majority of the people in the Republic that Senator Amidala was the best at what she does in the Galactic Senate.

After two days of travel, the faint burning torches illuminating the buildings of the Imperial Capital came into view against the night sky. At this point, Eila would request that Senator Chuchi put on the holographic disguise, just in case they ran into any Imperials who would obviously be suspicious of alien looking humanoids. Chuchi's blue skin, light purple hair, and gold eyes would be replaced with tanned skin, black hair, and brown eyes. Following Pina's instructions when they got there, the convoy would enter through the back of the Imperial Gardens; away from prying eyes.

Meeting Pina in the rear of the palace overlooking the Gardens, Eila would introduce Padme and Chuchi to her. Pina would attempt to explain who they were going to meet for tomorrow's meeting but Eila stopped her, having already explained it to them. Eila would slip Pina a holoprojector for communication just so she didn't have to send parchments anymore to talk. Pina thanked her and directed the Senators to their quarters for the night. Once the Senators were gone, Eila would converse with her men on what they were to do before being shown their rooms.

"Alright," She began, "For tonight, four troopers on watch around the perimeter. Four hour rotation. As for tomorrow, Teams One and Two, you're on security and surveillance detail. Team Three, you're doing the demonstrations. Now, Teams One and Two, if you see a contingent of Imperial soldiers, bandits or these men," She pulled out her holoprojector showing a rendition of Zorzal and Molt, based off their portraits in the building, "Do not engage, just report it immediately. We'll all pack up and help in the evacuation of all the Senators. The details of what are to be said in this meeting must be kept secret from the rest of the Empire for now."

"All?" Fick would speak up, "Why all the Senators? Why not just ours?"

"Again, this is supposed to be a secret. Those Senators are essential to the peace process. The actions of the Empire's Senators could be seen as treasonous so we have to hide them from people who would be opposed to all this until they are ready to act."

"What's the evacuation point?" Zipper would talk next.

"Akusho. The Imperial Capital's 'red light district'."

"What's that? What's a 'red light district'?"

"I—It's…" Eila fidgeted in trying to explain. She had seen and had avoided plenty of these back on Coruscant. "I—It's where people go for…secret encounters of an…_intimate_ nature."

"Oh!" Hoot spoke up, "You mean where people go, uh-uh?" He vaguely imitated a thrusting action.

The other troopers groaned but Fordo would sternly tell him, "Maintain discipline, trooper." Hoot immediately clammed up.

"S—Still, you are right, Hoot. We've chosen that district because the Imperial guards rarely patrol the area. It's the perfect place to sneak the Empire's Senators back into the Capital without arousing suspicion. It also helps that we've established a foothold base there."

"A base?" Fordo questioned, "Who did that?"

* * *

_**A few weeks ago…**_

"Target building in sight."

"Copy that. Building is supposed to be empty but I'm detecting heat signatures."

"Hmph! Scratch another one for intel."

"Lock it up! Let's go introduce ourselves, kids."

Four clone commandos approached what was supposed to be an empty brothel in the dead of night. They had been discreetly dropped near the Imperial Capital on Eila's orders. What they didn't know, was that Eila got the idea from Fordo as a means to enhance their intelligence on the Empire and as a safehouse given that the Republic was interacting with the Empire more closely. They had to be ready for contingencies. Stacking up by the door, the leader of Lancer Squad, Click, placed a small breaching charge on the knob of the thick wooden door.

"On my signal."

Readying himself and his squad, Click set off the charge. A small concentrated blast swung the door open and the commandos quickly entered the room. What they would see inside were cages filled with numerous women of varying types. Some were regular humans, others had animal-like characteristics, and another bunch had a near-human appearance. They were all startled by the blast but none of them screamed, only some whimpering.

"Great. A stinking slave market."

"Quiet, Rook. Secure the building. Keep an eye out for hostiles." Click ordered.

Two commandos would go up the stairs while Click and Rook checked the rest of the first floor. The building had three floors. While one commando began searching the second, the other went up to the third. In the middle of checking the rooms on the third floor, the commando was rushed from behind by someone.

"What the hell?!" The commando shouted.

Whoever it was, the person was clinging to his pack. Unable to grab his assailant, the commando slammed his back against the wall, crushing his attacker who fell to the floor. His fellow squadmates rushed up the stairs.

"Korg! You alright!" Click said as he and the others approached him.

"I'm good, sir. Just a Gungan on my back."

The commandos would look down to see a man with a dagger. The man also had a whip, coiled on his belt.

"Looks like I found the slave master." Korg said.

"How did he get past the heat scan?" Rook questioned.

"He must have been with the slaves during the scan then he got startled by the breaching charge and ran up the stairs." The last clone commando explained. He would bend down to check the man.

"Well, Jox?" Click said.

"He's dead. Crushed sternum and rib cage."

The commandos were hardly apologetic that they had killed the man even if they had intended to beat some information out of any hostiles they found in the building. He attacked a commando and Korg responded exactly as a clone commando should in the same situation. Going back downstairs, Rook would ask what were they going to do with the slaves held in the cages.

"Cut'em loose." Click ordered.

"Is that a good idea, sir? They might give away our position." Rook said.

"You want to take care of them?"

"Cutting them loose."

Rook, Korg, and Jox would blast off the padlocks on the cages with their DC-17Ms. The occupants would be startled by the blasts as they backed themselves into a corner. They were already quite frightened that a group of large armored men had entered the brothel. They feared they were about to be taken and have all sorts of unspeakable things done to them. Luckily for them, the commandos intended no such thing and were encouraging the slaves to simply run away. Almost all of them would take the commandos' offer, sprinting out immediately.

Only one stayed behind for a moment. A young dog girl. She walked up to Click and shakily said, "T—T—Thank you, armor man." Click gave a quick nod and the girl ran out like the others.

"Aww, that was sweet." Rook lightly mocked.

"Shut up and get the gear out. This is going to be our home away from home."

_**Several days later…**_

Lancer Squad was in a tight spot. There was a mob of gangsters that had quietly assembled themselves outside the brothel in the night. Click though hardly felt that they were in any serious trouble. He hadn't even bothered to call Eila that they might need help. They had set up the building to look as if it continued to be unoccupied but obviously the gangsters knew it wasn't. Ready to just start mowing the intruders down just to be done with it, one of them began calling out in a loud, booming voice,

"Oh, armor man! You costed me a lot of slaves! You'll pay for it with you and your friends lives! Here's the first payment!"

One of them would drag out the dog girl who had thanked them. She struggled at the gangster holding her by the hair as the commandos could see she had been badly beaten.

"Let go of me!" The girl screamed. She managed to wiggle enough that the man got careless in handling her. Seeing an opportunity, she bit her handler's hand forcing him to release his grip on her. She tried to run to the commandos. Unfortunately, she didn't get very far as she would be impaled through the back with a sword and then swiftly decapitated.

"That's what the little bitch gets!" The man yelled. The gangsters cheered as the man held up the girl's head like a trophy and then threw it at the building.

"Damn animals." Jox muttered.

Not wanting to waste his breath in even threatening them, especially with that disgusting display, Click ordered for his squad to fire. Click made sure that the man who killed the girl would be the first one dead. Sharp blue bolts instantly began riddling the gangsters. Korg had switched to the anti-armor grenade launcher attachment and was lobbing rounds at the concentrated group of men. It didn't take long before almost all of the gangsters had been wiped out with the few survivors scattering; screaming that the gods were attacking. Soon enough, it was quiet again.

Convening together on the first floor, Click congratulated his men, "Good work, kids. This is our warning. Leave their bodies to rot." He took a short pause before softly going on, "Let's bring the girl inside. Give her a proper sendoff."

The others quietly agreed and walked out to get the girl. From then on, they wouldn't be bothered by anyone at all as the stink of rotting flesh caused everyone to avoid area.

* * *

_**Present…**_

The next day, the party Pina had sent up was in full swing. The Empire's Senators and their consorts were enjoying themselves with Count Formal's servants catering to their whims. Seeing that enough time had passed after a few hours, Pina managed to lure the Senators away from the party and move them towards RT3 who was going to provide a demonstration of why peace would favor the Empire better.

"Blast them!" Fordo ordered.

RT3 riddled an assorted line of target posts fitted with the Imperial military's armor. All of them would be reduced to molten slag. The Senators stood shocked at the power of blasters, imagining the horrific and painful deaths their soldiers went through. While some of them wanted to ask Fordo how much they needed to pay for the weapons, one of the pro-war Senator's remained unmoved.

"Ha! Killing a stationary line of targets is hardly impressive." The Senator said, though he was simply trying to keep up a brave facade.

Not responding to the Senator's jab, Fordo directed the group's attention to a formation of reprogrammed B1 Battle Droids painted in blue markings that had been assembled some distance away from them. Some of the Senators would comment on the existence of machine soldiers.

"Droids, scatter yourselves and advance on our position." Fordo ordered on his comlink.

"Roger, roger!" They responded.

Asking the Senators to use the macrobinoculors they'd been given, they would see the droids spread out in which in a battle situation, it would make it harder to take them all down quickly.

Observing that they had spread themselves out well enough, Fordo would tap on his comlink to call on a different frequency, "Okay, Captain. They're all yours."

While continuing to stare at the droids slowly getting closer to them, the Senators began to wonder why they were hearing a growing whine. The droids were wondering about it too as they looked at each other, unaware that they were about to meet a quick end.

"Should we run at them faster?" One of the droids proposed to its comrades.

Suddenly, the Senators would be startled by a sudden gust of wind and having their field of view becoming filled with explosions as a LAAT flew from behind them firing its rockets. Once the LAAT finished its attack run, the remaining droids that had escaped the first barrage would be instantly flattened as a duo of Y-Wings would come in from the side and drop their bombs setting the whole field ablaze and vaporizing the remaining droids. The resulting shockwaves and tremors also startled them heavily.

"Thanks for the support, Koll." Fordo would say to his comlink in which Koll would acknowledge.

The Senator who had scoffed earlier merely watched in horror as he and the other Senators could only gawk at the devastation the Republic had access to. Fordo would imply further that flying machines with rockets weren't the only things the Republic can use in a war. Almost instantly, the Senators who weren't pro-peace before were seriously reconsidering their positions. The already pro-peace Senators looked on grimly as that display reinforced their belief in pursuing peace. Pina would approach them, having seen the demonstration from a distance as well as their shocked expressions.

"Princess!" One of the Senators called, "What is it?! W—What does the Republic want?!"

Seeing that the demonstration had been effective, Pina would lead the Senators to Padme and Chuchi who had been patiently waiting in the conference room of the palace, away from the partying guests. All of them took a seat as Padme began with introducing herself.

"I am Senator Padme Amidala of the planet, Naboo and this is my fellow associate, Senator Riyo Chuchi of the planet, Pantora. On behalf of the Galactic Republic, we appreciate that you have all agreed to this meeting."

"Planets? Naboo and Pantora?" One of the Senators questioned aloud, "You two are aliens?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes." Chuchi answered, "Humans occupy numerous worlds in the Galactic Republic but there are other species of humanoids in our galaxy. Senator Amidala is human herself but I am one of the other humanoid species in my galaxy."

"You're not human?" Another Senator said as he scrutinized her appearance.

"Yes. In fact, why don't I just show you." Chuchi removed her holographic disguise and reverted to her former colors.

The Senators recoiled at the sudden change. Putting her disguise back on, another Senator began to fearfully say of what kind of witchcraft had he just witnessed.

Pina spoke up, "It is technology, Senator Moltose. The 'magic' the Republic possesses is simply an advancement of their science. They have a broader understanding of the nature of the universe and I am hoping we can be a part of that."

"Knowledge, then. Is that what you want from this meeting, Princess?" Senator Cicero La Moltose, a prominent pro-war Senator, said.

"Partially yes, Senator Moltose. If you were to think of it selfishly, imagine if we had the technology the Republic possess. The Empire would remain strong for the millennia to come. But the Republic doesn't only have advanced war machines or the device Senator Chuchi has. They also have vast net of, what was it, digitized information, medical and communications technology, and much more. The medical technology they have alone is just as effective as a healing spell from a mage or elf and their communications allow for instant dialogue over vast distances"

Senator Moltose considered that offer. That knowledge would certainly solve a lot of domestic headaches plaguing the regions they held dominion over. Although, he wondered about what would be the price for that knowledge. Turning to Padme and Chuchi, he would ask that question.

"With help from Count Formal of Italica, we have reached the sum we expect in compensation for the Empire's expedition." Padme said as she passed a note to Cicero.

Reading the note, he burst out, "Are you insane?! The Empire doesn't have that kind of money!" Wondering what got Cicero all riled up, Pina took the note and would be equally shocked at the sum but ultimately understood that it was expected to be high. The Senators would all get a peek at the note and began expressing their disbelief.

"Our economy will surely collapse!"

"This is a joke, right? A joke?"

"A very bad one if you ask me."

"Burning down the Empire ourselves would be cheaper."

Padme would try to calm them down, "Senators, please. While the amount we are asking for is above your market's current capacity to fulfill, our Senate has agreed that the amount is to be fixed. That means it will be unaffected by inflation or depression and the sum will steadily reduce in paying it with no further increases. The compensation we're asking for doesn't need to be paid all at once. It also doesn't have to be a solely monetary exchange. You can also pay off the debt with trade goods such as your industrial capacity to process raw materials that can be traded. This is also not just a one way transaction. As mentioned, we will exchange knowledge with you but also materials of a non-military nature to improve the living conditions of your people such as medicine for your cooperation."

The Senators began grumbling among themselves that the terms weren't really as bad as they had imagined it to be despite the astronomical price but they were also in a position where they couldn't really resist. An unwinnable war or a beneficial peace. It was a simple choice. Turning back to Padme, Cicero would reluctantly agree on behalf of the others.

"Terrific!" Padme said, "With your agreement to these terms, we will correspondingly release the Imperial soldiers we have in custody on each payment."

Cicero nodded. He had been privy to seeing who exactly was on the POW list and saw his son's name. The fact that his son had been captured didn't bother him much. He was simply happy his son was alive rather than worrying about honor on the battlefield.

"We will bring this to the Emperor for his consideration and strongly emphasize the need to accept it. Hopefully, this will also formalize these talks to cement a peace." Cicero concluded.

Just as the Senators seemed to think they were finished, Chuchi would say, "There is one more matter. We would also like our citizens who were captured during the Empire's expedition to be returned to us as soon as possible."

The Senators mumbled among themselves as they actually didn't have a good idea where some of those citizens had gone. Cicero would explain the situation to them, "Well, Senator Chuchi, we would be more than willing to give back your citizens after all of this but unfortunately, we don't really know where some of them have gone."

"How could you not know?" Chuchi questioned.

"Unfortunately, the Empire has had a habit of maintaining poor records. But after your citizens were presented to the Emperor after the expedition, they were escorted away. Some did end up as attendants to our fellow Senators and to the nobility. They will have to be convinced to give them up. As for the others, we do not know what happened to them. They likely could have been sold as slaves."

Chuchi grimaced at the plight of their people but Padme would try to comfort her by placing her hand on Chuchi's shoulder as she would say, "I understand, Senator. Please do your best to track our people down so we can put away all of this tragedy behind us."

Acknowledging their need, Cicero stood up to leave seeing there wasn't more to discuss. Before he and the other Senators could return to the party however, Eila entered the room.

"Senators," She bowed but also eyed Padme and Chuchi, "Please come with me, we'll be escorting you out of the Imperial Gardens and back to the Capital."

While the Empire's Senators were confused at why they were being taken, Padme would question Eila, "What's wrong, General?"

"A certain individual is approaching the Gardens and we can't have that individual see you or the other Senators."

Understanding the situation, Padme helped the others along to follow while trying to convince them that they weren't getting abducted and that the guests they brought with them will be unharmed in leaving them. Pina would ask Eila if that individual was who she thought it would be.

"Yes, Princess. It's your brother."

Sighing wearily knowing that this moment was a long time coming, Pina would beg for Eila to stay with her for emotional support. While the clones and the Senators made a discreet getaway back to the Capital, they would both be greeted by Zorzal and his entourage at the garden.

"Well, well, well!" He would shout, "What an impressive party that I wasn't invited to!"

"Brother! This party is for…mostly women! You would find it uninteresting." Pina would try to deflect.

"Oh, dear sister! There's no need to lie to me. Where are the Senators?"

Trying not to show any shock and finding Eila's presence comforting that she wasn't facing her brother alone, she confidently answered, "Who would tell you such a bold claim, brother?"

"Oh, a little fat bird told me. Besides, a party full of beautiful women! You wound me, sister."

"Well, the are no Senators here. I haven't seen them."

Pina realized that the Internal Minister, Marcus, had likely told him about the Senators since she now noticed that Marcus always seemed to be around in opportune moments whenever she had approached the Senators to discuss the talks before. It became obvious to her that her brother was here to catch the Senators in the act of talking with the Republic. Not wanting to openly accuse her, Zorzal took her word at face value and guessed that the Senators were already gone. His attention would be drawn away to one of his men making an accusation.

"You!" The man said.

"What is it, Helm?" He asked.

"This woman is one of those Republic swine! She was the one who captured us!" Helm pointed at Eila.

She showed no emotion to the man's accusation. But she scolded herself that she had forgotten that Zorzal's entourage consisted of the nobles she and her troopers had captured during the Uscru incident and were the first released with Count Formal after they returned from Coruscant.

"You have a lot of nerve to show your face to us, bitch!" Helm threatened as he drew his sword.

She frowned slightly at Helm but moved her robe so he could see her lightsaber. He hesitated at the sight of it, remembering the humiliation he suffered.

"Pfft!" He scoffed, "Without that fancy blade of yours, you'd be nothing!" He sheathed his sword.

Somewhat confused at Helm's statement and why he backed down, Zorzal would evaluate Eila's appearance. He would think to himself that she would look better out of her robes.

"Ha! Ha!" He laughed at his entourage and made a jab at them, "So this is the one who captured the lot of you! No shame in being captured by someone that beautiful, boys!" Turning back to her, he continued, "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I am Crown Prince Zorzal El Caesar and you are?" He took Eila's hand, kissed it, and waited for a response.

Trying to put on a cheery face but somewhat disgusted by his gesture, she would answer, "General Eila Deova of the Grand Army of the Republic. A pleasure, Prince Zorzal." She tried to remove any sarcasm from her tone just so that he wouldn't feel offended.

"Ooh! A General!" He said, not detecting any hints, "I see you've become acquainted with my dear _half_ sister. I wonder why she invited you here given that you qualify as an enemy combatant, no?"

"Well, yes. But, _Princess_ Pina invited me to try to bring a peace between the Republic and the Empire. She claimed I would have diplomatic immunity for our talks. Her _devotion_ to the Empire is admirable. I wouldn't expect less from royalty. I'll make sure the terms of any agreement are to the Empire's liking."

"I see." He smugly smiled at her, "Well, enjoy your stay with us, General."

'_Enjoy it while you can._' He maliciously thought.

"Oh!" He perked up, "We'll just take some things to satisfy ourselves with. Maybe we'll throw a little party of our own." He would direct his group to take some of the prepared food. He felt disappointed that he hadn't caught the Senators in the act of conspiring with the enemy but he wanted to at least take something from them out of spite. Although, he was bothered at Eila's claim of diplomatic immunity.

Promptly leaving after taking all the foods that interested him, Pina ecstatically shook Eila's hands. "Thank you, General! Thank you!" She said, "I thought that would easily turn ugly but you took on my brother like it was nothing! I should have you around whenever I talk to him!"

Feeling a little embarrassed with the her praise, Eila had deduced Pina's earlier line of thinking that her brother had come to catch the Senators and then use the resulting incident to gain favor with the other pro-war Senators who hadn't come to escalate the war. They had dodged a potentially destabilizing incident.

* * *

Arriving in Akusho, Fordo would knock on the door of the brothel he had been told was the observation base. Fortunately, someone had cleaned out the dead bodies by this point. Some of the people who occupied the area previously had returned since they didn't have a home anywhere else so they took on the job of cleaning the neighbourhood up. But there was still a bit of a smell that kept the place sparsely populated. Ignoring that faint stench of rotting flesh, he knocked twice, and would hear a clone's voice call out.

"Corellia." The voice said.

He understood this to be a countersign. "Garsmelt." He responded. Hearing the clicking of a bunch of locks, he would be greeted by a clone commando.

"Ahh, if it isn't the ARC trooper." The commando sarcastically said.

"Oh great, _you guys_." Fordo countered, "Do you have the rides ready for the Empire's Senators, or not, Click?"

"Yeah, yeah. I sent out one of our contacts. She's already come back that the Senators' chauffeurs will be here in a bit to take them the rest of the way."

Bringing out the Senators from the tank, Fordo asked them to wait with the commandos until their rides came to pick them up. Major Castle was already taking the initiative to take Senator Amidala and Chuchi back to base with his team and back to Coruscant as the two Senators had to report on the progress made to the Senate and had to deal with other obligations back home. LAATs would meet them to take back home faster once the Capital was out of sight.

Waving at them as they left, Fordo sighed as he didn't like the thought of having to stay with the commandos for a while. He really wanted to avoid this since ARC troopers and clone commandos never really got along that well together. Luckily for him, Eila called on the comms and would tell him that Zorzal was gone and that Pina had graciously offered some of the rooms in the Imperial Palace for them to stay for the night. Feeling quite cheerful he didn't have to spend the night with the commandos, Fordo happily obliged and brought his team with him while ordering Recon Team Two to stay behind to watch the Senators and then act as support for the commandos once they were gone. Arriving at Pina's home, Eila questioned where the other two teams went.

"RT1 went back to base with Senators Amidala and Chuchi. And I ordered RT2 to support the commandos in Akusho."

Eila nodded along, "Well, alright I guess. The rest of us will all be going home anyway tomorrow. Only the commandos are going to stay behind."

Fordo smiled smugly under his helmet that the commandos were at least going to be out of the way.

* * *

_Author's Note_: I'm back again with another chapter but there will be gaps in-between updates from now on. I've slowed down in writing this but I still intend to continue. Sorry.


	14. The Slave

In Akusho, Click and Korg remained awake as the two other commandos and the recon team left behind to support them slept. Click lazily looked over a communique on what their new surveillance role entailed. It was just to keep an eye on the Imperial military's movements and marking possible weak points. A beeping noise began to sound off on one of the scanners. Shutting the alarm off and analyzing the readings, Click tapped Korg and explained what was wrong.

"Seismic activity on the scanner. Coming right at us. Prepare for an earthquake." He calmly said.

Korg sighed and pressed some settings on a datapad that activated a force field encompassing the building. While the shield generator was meant to protect against an attack, it could be adjusted to boost the building's integrity in a pinch.

Korg would comment on their current situation, "Sir, I thought this continent was supposed to be geologically stable?"

"It is." Click answered, "All those geological surveys made when the Republic first got here all came to the same conclusion that this place rarely suffers from earthquakes. But the key word is 'rarely'. Guess it's just that time."

"Should we wake the others?" Korg said as he knew commandos could sleep through even an active battlefield. An earthquake wouldn't be much of a step up to them.

"Yeah, wake them up. We've gone through this building and it's naturally sturdy. But just in case…"

Korg got up and woke up his two comrades. He then moved to wake RT2. Lieutenant Evo would ask what was happening and Click would answer his question.

Understanding the situation, Evo suggested, "We should contact the base and General Deova who's with the Princess right now."

Already knowing that he had to do that, Click attempted to make the call but would be distracted by a crowd of people calling out to them outside. Setting up the men at the windows, readying for a possible attack, Click would yell out the countersign as he peered out a viewport and could see that the crowd seemed to consist mostly of women.

"Armor man, I don't remember the password! Uh, is it 'smelts'?!" The one woman leading the group said.

Activating his night vision, he recognized that the woman was one of their many contacts. Click ordered for the force field to be lowered around the door and opened it to answer the woman but kept his weapon ready. He was no stranger to human shields from an enemy.

"Eh, close enough." He said to the woman but remaining cautious, "What do you want?"

"I can feel an earth-shake coming. Would it be too much to ask if we can stay with you?"

Click looked at the group. He recognized most of the women in the group. They were mostly half-human hybrids who were homeless and some were even the slaves they had let go. Relaxing slightly, he would consent to them coming in as he saw that quite a number of them were already working for them as informants and he had seen on many worlds that animals tended to get spooked before the coming of a natural disaster noting the individuals with animal characteristics. He also didn't want to lose any of their contacts if they could save them.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in. But duck and cover your heads." He instructed. He would also quietly instruct his men on the internal comms to keep an eye open just in case.

As the crowd quickly entered to take cover, Evo spoke up, "Should we warn the neighbourhood?"

"Well, it's not really our job. We're supposed to be inconspicuous but," Click said as he looked to his fellow commandos, "Why don't you and your men do it, Lieutenant? We still have a call to make."

Agreeing to his assessment, Evo took his troopers out and began spreading the word to the local citizens. Evo and his men would begin asking people to clear out of their homes and go to the middle of the street away from the buildings. Although, there were a few stubborn citizens who couldn't quite believe an earthquake coming. Turning back to his comlink, Click called Eila to apprise her of the situation.

"General," He said.

"Y—Yes? W—What's wrong?" Eila groggily said having just woke up to the beeping of her comlink.

"One of our scanners has detected an earthquake coming our way. Suggest you prepare, General."

"Thank you, Click. Have you informed the base?"

"Next on the to-do list, ma'am."

"Good. Well, hunker down and prepare yourselves." Eila said before cutting the transmission.

* * *

While the commandos readied themselves and Click called the base for them to prepare, Eila quickly got up from her bed and dressed herself. She would wake RT3 and tell them of the situation. Once assembled, she would move on to inform Pina about it so her people could get ready.

When Eila told her, Pina was initially skeptical but remembering that she should keep an open mind as she quickly concluded that the Republic would have technology that could predict such things, she began giving orders to the guards to secure the Capital.

Unfortunately, the guards wouldn't be able to complete their task quickly enough since the ground began to shift below them and a powerful crashing noise surrounded all of them as they found it hard to stand still. Some of the Capital's buildings began to strain from the stress. Shouts to take cover and stay out in the open away from any falling objects sounded out as stone pillars, large trees, and other vulnerable structures began falling over. After almost a minute of constant shaking, it finally began to subside. In Akusho, the commandos were laughing that the building hadn't suffered any damage at all which confused their guests while Lieutenant Evo and his men were already helping in treating or rescuing the stubborn citizens who brushed off their warning. Back with Eila, she shook Pina out of her frightened state.

"Are you alright, Princess?" Eila asked as she offered her hand to Pina who dropped to the floor to protect herself.

"I'm—I'm good." She answered while taking Eila's hand and straightening herself out. She then became concerned about something. "My father!" She yelled. She quickly rushed off to get her formal clothes. Noticing that Eila and RT3 weren't following her, she beckoned to them, "Won't you join me?!"

Eila gave a confused look at Fordo before turning back to Pina. "You want us to come with you?" Eila questioned.

"Why not?!"

"Maybe because your father is the Emperor and we're still technically enemies of the Empire?"

Pina was dismayed that she had forgotten that detail, but she pressed on as she felt she needed their presence as a confidence booster, "Please, just come with me. Besides, I would have had to introduce you anyway to my father at some point."

Despite her misgivings at meeting the Emperor this quickly, Eila agreed to follow but Pina added a stipulation that if Eila was worried about her father seeing them negatively, she suggested that they only bring two troopers. Agreeing to her condition, Eila ordered Fordo and Fick with her, while the rest of the troopers stayed behind to help any injured.

Moving on to the Emperor's quarters, the guards were too frightened by the earthquake to question why they were there. Many of them crying out why Hardy was mad with them. Stopping outside her father's quarters, Pina asked them to wait while she softly broke her father into accepting their presence. While her father got dressed, Pina would bring them into the throne room and would instruct the Palace staff and the guards who stopped cowering in fear to prepare services, bolster security, and call all the Ministers and Generals. Eventually, the Emperor entered the throne room and took a seat. While walking to his throne, Eila noticed that the Emperor seemed to be carrying something in his robes.

Clearing his throat, Molt noted the otherworldly appearance of his guests. A woman in monk's clothing with two white armored soldiers flanking her. Figuring out who they were having read Pina's letter, he began with saying, "So, you must be from the Galactic Republic."

Pina quickly introduced them, "Yes, father! This is General Eila Deova of the Galactic Republic and two of her clone troopers. Captain Fordo and Lieutenant Fick."

The three of them would bow to him.

"A General, hmm? And clone troopers?" Molt questioned. "Ahh yes, Pina. You mentioned them in your letter. The duplicated soldiers." He motioned to Fordo and Fick, "Come now. I wish to see your faces. I want to see if it's true."

Both troopers would look at Eila and she nodded to let them show their faces. Removing their helmets, Molt's smile widened as he could see that they were identical in appearance. Although, there was a part of him that wondered if they were just twins.

Pushing the doubt aside, Molt turned his attention to Pina, "Well, daughter? Why did you bring them?"

She was dreading her father's question but confidently answer, "They knew about the coming of the earth-shake. They have amazing technology that foresaw it and I have mentioned that they are willing to help us in my letter."

"Yes, fantastic technology." Molt said with a deep sigh. "I've already caught wind of the Senators coming in the morning to propose that I formally begin peace talks with them."

Pina was startled at her father's foresight of knowing the Senators' intentions that she set in motion but didn't say anything. It wasn't really a problem to Molt. People just had a hard time keeping their mouths shut around him when it came to matters affecting the throne. Particularly, Marcus. Seeing that she didn't respond further to his statement and interested in the Republic's technology, what he would do next would stun them all. From his robe, Molt casually pulled out the hilt of a lightsaber.

Activating it, he repeated, "Yes, fantastic technology."

He commented on the blue colored lightsaber while lightly moving it around, "Such an elegant but dangerous weapon, isn't it? I had a sword master try to use it but he accidentally cut off his arm. By his words, it has a different feel to a traditional blade, feeling heavy at moments and lighter in others. And obviously, it punishes the slightest bit of inattention to the wielder's movement. But I'm sure you're quite proficient with it, General?" He eyed Eila's lightsaber while he deactivated it.

Eila remained wide eyed while Molt went on with his comments about the saber but her shock quickly changed to a subdued anger as she hissed, "_**Where did you get that?**_"

Ignoring her hostile tone, her answered, "A gift from my son."

Extending her hand, Eila grabbed the saber with the Force. Molt was momentarily surprised when the saber was forced out of his hand but quickly returned to his default stoic expression. He finally understood that Pina wasn't exaggerating about the 'sorcerer warriors' known as Jedi that she mentioned.

"These aren't gifts!" She shouted to Molt.

Pina fearfully looked back and forth between the two of them, expecting a shouting match about disrespect to break out but her father actually laughed off the situation, surprising her and their guests.

"Haha! Oh my daughter! You weren't joking at all in your letter!" He turned back to Eila, "I guess I should apologize. I took your property and you obviously wanted it back. You should come again next time. We'll have a banquet to begin these peace talks."

Eila wasn't quite sure how to respond at Molt's passiveness but she nodded along having unexpectedly achieved a primary goal of their purpose in the Special Region. She thought she would have encountered more resistance from him. Pina was equally confused at her father's sudden friendly demeanor and casual acceptance to the peace talks.

For Molt, he now understood that the Republic was certainly a frightening force that they couldn't hope to match in a thousand lifetimes given what he had witnessed. He thought to himself that the Republic should be treated as an ally just as Pina wrote in her letter if they were willing to help but should quietly be pushed aside rather than defeated when their usefulness was at an end. He understood that trying to defeat them would be futile given that they had control over many worlds as written in Pina's letter, while he only controlled one. For him, he was hoping for the Republic to leave through the Gate willingly when they both had learned all they could from each other and for the Gate to close so that the Republic couldn't interfere in their affairs. Although, for the Gate to close, it would take an act of god for it to happen, in his view. Molt was ultimately choosing to play the long game with the Republic and he was now expecting not to live to see his plan reach its end. However, he was hoping his descendants would adhere to his idea closely. Unfortunately, Zorzal to him, seemed too headstrong to understand the need for patience for a plan with a long time-frame while he thought that Pina and his other son, Diablo, would be too soft to push the Republic aside. He resigned himself into believing that his descendants should at least get close enough where the Empire remains the dominant power of the world.

Zorzal and his entourage suddenly barging into the throne room would interrupt Molt's thoughts and the rest of them. Brushing past Eila, Fordo, and Fick without even noting their presence, Zorzal called out to Molt, "Father! It's good to see you well! Come! We should leave while we can! She told me there will be more earth-shakes!"

"We can't just leave, brother! I've called for an assembly. And who's she?" Pina said.

'_She?_' Eila thought. It slowly began to dawn on her that if the lightsaber was here, then a particular friend would be close by.

Zorzal would go to his goons who were holding someone by a chain in the shadows of the room. Again, Eila's eyes would widen in shock as her realization came true when Zorzal presented a dishevelled but a familiar woman into the light.

"V—Vania?"

* * *

_**Just before the Uscru incident…**_

Vania Solon waited for Eila to join her. She really wanted to see _Squid Lake_ with her. The reviews for that opera had so far been stellar enough that the performance was having its time at the Galaxies Opera House extended for the next few months. It probably helped that Chancellor Palpatine was personally fond of it. Vania was in a rush to see it with Eila as her time off was about to end. She would be returning to protecting supply lines once again in the Outer Rim in the next two days. After the opera, she hoped that she and Eila would take a swing around the bars in celebration in meeting each other again after almost a year apart. Although, she thought to herself that Eila will likely have the more interesting stories while they were drinking as her job of protecting supply lines was hardly glamorous. The occasional Separatist fleet was the only interruption she had to meditating and staring at the empty void of space while aboard her ship.

Tapping on a guard rail and looking out at the city landscape while she waited on one of the Uscru district's major streets, Vania suddenly felt a tremor through the Force and began walking in the direction where she felt it. She would soon see a Gate in the middle of the street with three clone shock troopers already investigating. She walked right behind the clones who hadn't noticed her presence yet and was about to ask them regarding the Gate. But like the clones, she would suddenly hear a horn.

Vania along with the clones would quickly be overwhelmed when they would be knocked down by a stampede of horses. Luckily, the horses managed to not crush her under their hoofs while the clones weren't as lucky. Unfortunately, falling backwards onto concrete, she would be knocked into unconsciousness by the stampede and her hands and arms would be badly injured as she had raised them to protect herself. She would be unaware that some of the Empire's soldiers would take her when they began their retreat.

Being brought to the other side and waking up in front of Zorzal in his quarters, she groggily managed to say, "W—Where am I?"

Zorzal ignored her question and ordered the two men holding her to strip everything off. Unable to fight back since she was still in a haze and could hardly move her injured arms and hands, he commented on her naked body.

"Ooh, truly magnificent!" He said, "A fine catch from the expedition! Hmm, pointed ears? And dark skin? A dark elf? No matter. Another fun woman to add with Tyuule."

While the men continued to hold her, he moved on to what little belongings she had. He played a bit with her comlink but grew bored when it did nothing. Seeing the opera tickets, he tossed them aside since he didn't understand the language written on them. He examined her robes but considered them unremarkable as he thought that the fabric was similar to what they already had. He smiled a bit at the gold and silver Republic credits she carried in one of the robe's pockets and thought that they should fetch a good price. Initially disappointed at the lack of anything more intriguing, his interest would peak when he moved on to her lightsaber.

"What is this?" He wondered aloud. Fumbling around with it, Zorzal unwittingly activated her lightsaber. He nearly skewered himself through the face toying with it carelessly.

"Whoa!" He called out in surprise but like a child with a new toy, he began playing around with the saber. Swinging it around, he ended up cutting cleanly through a nearby chair and table in a single stroke.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!" He chuckled, "Father will certainly enjoy this!" He deactivated the saber and threw it to one of his men, "Make sure he gets it! A fine gift from his loyal son!" He ordered.

"W—Where? E—Eila?" Vania said in her confusion as she tried to get a bearing on her surroundings. She would then look at Zorzal, "W—Who are you?"

Zorzal gave a sadistic smirk at her question and cupped her face with his hand.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough, woman." He said while creepily taking a sniff along her neck.

* * *

_**Present…**_

"General. Isn't that General Solon?" Fick said as he observed the chained woman wearing the typical garments of an Empire's slave but with a crystal around her neck.

Eila would ignore him as she began walking towards Zorzal and his group. Fordo motioned to Fick to put his helmet back on. He was starting to become concerned at what she was about to do.

"You again?" Zorzal said as she approached and then looked at Pina who would be startled at her brother's stare. Although, immediately after saying his statement, he and his band of men would all be pushed away. Eila had shoved them all out of the way with the Force. Kneeling next to Vania who had fallen her knees after her handler had been pushed, Eila removed her restraints, tried to get her up, and looked into her open but empty eyes.

"Vania! Vania! It's me, Eila!" She pleaded.

Vania gave an eerie smile but her eyes remained empty and gave no response.

Assuming that she was likely delirious, Eila tried harder to get her standing, "Come on. I'm taking you home." She finally managed to get Vania up proper.

"But I don't want to come home." She said, pushing away Eila's hands once she was up.

Eila would be confused by her statement as her friend seemed to tower over her, "W—What do you mean?"

Her smile disappeared as she reaffirmed, "I don't want to go home."

"W—Wha—"

Eila didn't get to finish as she would be Force pushed across the room by Vania. She crashed against a wall, knocking down a hanging portrait, and fell to the ground. As she tried to regain her senses, the saber she got from Molt, flew from her hand to Vania's.

Activating it, she repeated, "I don't want to go home."

"V—Vania?! Why?!"

She didn't answer but began to charge at Eila with her saber ready to strike. Fortunately, she wouldn't get very far since Fordo reacted quickly and shocked her with his electrified grappling hook from the side. She fell to the ground unconscious.

While Eila remained stunned that Vania had chosen to attack her, Zorzal got up and smirked, "You'll pay dearly for attacking me."

Snapping his fingers, his goons and the Imperial guardsmen advanced on Eila and Fordo. Even though Fordo hadn't even personally hurt him and he himself wasn't even seriously hurt by the push, this was the excuse he had been waiting for to arrest them all.

"Sir, the General!" Fick called.

Fordo ordered, "Support her."

Fick quickly moved near Eila to support her while Fordo readied his dual blasters. With another snap, the men charged at Fordo and Eila's positions. Fick blasted the men trying to get to her as she continued to remain stagnant; the whole situation seemingly fading away in her head as she looked solely on her unconscious friend. Some of the men would become unnerved at the gruesome wounds blasters inflicted on the others charging her but the Prince encouraged them to press on to try to get Fordo. They wouldn't stand a chance. Fordo stood his ground and casually blasted them all without moving an inch from his position.

The last attacking man promptly fell and the few survivors cowered in fear having thrown their weapons aside. Zorzal would be curled up on the ground as he was frightened at how easily his men were killed. The sound of their death cries unnerving him. Fordo twirled his blasters back into their holsters. Seeing that Eila was still in shock and not responding to Fick calling to her, he turned to Molt and said, "We'll be taking the Prince's 'prize' home with us. I'm sure there are no objections."

Pina eagerly nodded her head in agreement while Molt simply gave a wave of his hand for them to leave, maintaining his stoic expression despite that deep down, he was both impressed and shocked at the weapons the Republic had. The demonstration of the Republic's ease in killing their men furthered Molt's thoughts on the necessity of having them as an ally. Fordo moved to carry Vania while Fick moved to shake Eila out of her shock given that she didn't react to his calls.

"General." He said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Eila jumped at his touch but stayed silent and took his hand in getting up. Joining Fordo at the door, they were just about to leave when Zorzal had to open his mouth.

"Cowards! Fighting with magic! How ridiculous! And all this trouble over one concubine?! You should be lucky my father's letting you go!"

Fordo merely sighed as he knew what was coming next. While he didn't know that Vania was actually a personal friend of Eila's, it didn't take a genius to understand that downgrading a Jedi to a whore wasn't going to sit well with a fellow Jedi. Pina also shifted uncomfortably at Zorzal's mention of Eila's friend being a 'concubine'; noting her own lineage. As Fordo predicted, he saw Eila move away from them and walk up to Zorzal who had positioned himself sitting on the floor.

"What? What are you going to do?!" He hollered.

Eila didn't even dignify him in responding with a threat when she swiftly broke his nose with the Force. Zorzal howled in pain at the sudden snap but continued to try and mock her in-between pained gasps and watery eyes . Feeling a murderous rage that she had never felt before in the Clone Wars or even to Krell, she chose to break another part of him. One of his teeth would do. He again cried out in pain as a tooth flew from his mouth. Eila then began inflicting more precise injuries on him such as cracking the bones in his fingers or one of his ribs but not fully breaking them. She would remain eerily silent throughout the whole ordeal as she intended to maximize his suffering. The surviving Imperials who were witnesses to the spectacle would both be unnerved at the injuries the Prince was receiving without being touched and that they could swear Eila's eyes seemed to flash a fiery yellow when she blinked at times. Eventually, she raised her hand and he would be lifted off the ground. She began to bend his limbs in various directions, intending to permanently deprive him the use of his arms and legs. Zorzal, being the coward he is, was seriously considering begging for mercy knowing what she was about to do and both Molt and Pina were feeling that the spectacle was going too far. However, her concentration would be broken when Fordo called out to her.

"General, that's enough! General Solon requires immediate medical attention!" He called.

His interruption broke her hold on Zorzal and he fell to the ground groaning in pain. A certain bunny eared woman came running in from the shadows and began tending to the Prince's injuries.

"T—Tyuule!" Zorzal managed to say amid the surging pain he felt from the injuries inflicted upon him.

"Please," Tyuule said turning to Eila, "Please cause no further harm to the Prince. Take Vania and go. This fight's over."

Eila glared at Tyuule who returned the same stare. Despite feeling something deceitful about the woman, Eila turned away and joined Fordo and Fick at the door.

Zorzal, still not learning his lesson, would again try to speak but Molt would interrupt him, "Zorzal! It would be in your best interest _to remain silent_."

He attempted to oppose his father's command but kept his mouth shut in the end. Pina would also try to call out to them, but her father shook his head in disapproval at her attempt.

Once they left the throne room, Molt called to a few of the surviving guards, "You men! Tend to the Prince's injuries." He would then motion to the rest of the survivors and the dead bodies, "Clean this mess up!"

"Yes, your Majesty!" They managed to proudly respond and would begin carrying out the order with one group taking Zorzal out with Tyuule following behind them while the other group began grabbing the corpses and getting them out of the throne room.

Leaning back on his throne, Molt said his thought out loud, "They love their people too much."

"Father?" Pina questioned.

"They love their people far too much. That can be easily exploited."

Ironically, the average Republic citizen living in the bowels of the Coruscant underworld might have a different opinion on Molt's thought along with the Separatists who were former Republic citizens. Nevertheless, Pina thought on his statement.

"That is true," She said, "There was once a country that existed in our history that thought the same and was destroyed by barbarians since they didn't invest in making their military or political stance stronger. But unlike that nation, father, you should think of the Republic as a mother wolf. What happens when you attack one of her cubs? In fact, I did not mention this in my letter, but the Republic is currently fighting a war on the other side with an enemy similar to them and it has only served to increase the development of their already formidable military strength. If anything, our war with the Republic is but a minor nuisance to them."

Molt contemplated Pina's explanation. He had thought he had found a weakness but if it was exploited as he had intended to try, it would only galvanize the wrath of an already angry Republic that was at war with someone else. He didn't find it hard to think that the Republic had the capacity to support both wars. Although, in a scenario where the Republic didn't want to waste resources, Molt could see them crushing the Empire in mere hours and then casually turn back to their own war if they wanted to expedite matters. He ultimately returned to his original plan of handling the Republic in the long term. Although, his thoughts would linger on the Jedi and their powers. The Jedi were something quite different from the mages that existed in the world. They used 'magic' casually and without uttering a word for a spell. The magic he had seen other mages perform, while more varied, were inefficient due to the limitations of the natural world. It tended to take a lot of time to cast one spell and it would be obvious a mage was about to attack when they'd start mumbling and have a blue aura around themselves. That weakness is easily exploitable. It would be these reasons mages are not used as military assets along with them being more academically inclined than politically or militarily minded. Yet, his son had somehow managed to 'tame' one of Jedi despite their gifts. He could tell that one wouldn't break without some kind of serious effort but his son had somehow done it. Although, it was obvious from the display he had seen that they weren't invincible even with their abilities since a 'regular soldier' of the Republic took one of them down with ease. Ultimately, while he had entertained the idea of maybe turning Eila against the Republic as his son had with her companion, it would be pointless since they had also thought up of countermeasures against a rogue.

Seeing that a path of non-violence was the only way for the Empire to survive just as his daughter had been pursuing, he conceded to Pina's point. He also took note that she was the first to his side once the earthquake hit. Despite Zorzal being closer to his room, Pina was immediately there for him. Because of these two points, he felt that congratulations were in order.

"Hmm, when did you become so good, Pina?"

Pina looked at her father with confusion.

* * *

Gathering RT3 and calling a LAAT to get back to base quicker to assess Vania's medical condition, Eila sat by while watching Ramius examine her. Twirling the familiar crystal she plucked that was around Vania's neck with her fingers, she stared at her friend unconscious on a stretcher and there were now two conflicts waging within Eila's head. One side was that she really wanted to retaliate against the Empire for what they did to her friend. She could imagine Y-Wings bombing the Imperial Capital into dust. Her troopers gunning down Imperial soldiers without mercy. Her capturing Zorzal and showing him the full extent of what the Force can do to a person. Rory would probably break into cheers if she were to order such things. War was her fetish given that she served a god of war and it was starting to become the favored opinion among the people who lived in the town near their base and of the clone troopers that the Empire had arrogantly overextended its reach for power. 'They need a kick in the pants', Eila remembered, having heard the statement in passing from a trooper.

But on the other side, Eila would be reminded of the people she's met from the Empire. People like Pina and her knights or the Senators. They simply didn't understand why the Republic acts the way it does. It was something they had to learn. It has been consistent with primitive civilizations in their own galaxy that the Republic should have a higher tolerance for patience and prudence in dealing with primitives since they don't know the Republic's standards and the Republic likewise doesn't know theirs. And even if they weren't really affiliated with the Empire; Tuka, Lelei, and Yao might disapprove of a sudden aggressive strategy. She and her troopers had already built up an image as a benevolent force in the Special Region in the eyes of the indigenous people. To do a sudden shift would seem jarring to them. Master Yoda's words were also calling back to her, to let go of what she fears to lose.

While still waiting to arrive at the base, Eila repeated the words to herself. It was something she should have paid closer attention to. She had felt a coldness when she was inflicting pain on the Prince. That coldness both felt extremely empowering but also extremely terrifying, as she knew she had tapped into the Dark Side of the Force. That feeling now felt disgusting to her. She felt equally disappointed in herself since she had betrayed all her years of training in the Jedi Temple. That training had served her well for so long since she didn't feel that much excessive hate and anger when Krell was around or in a some pitched battle on a far off planet. She also felt disappointment in herself since her one selfish act had likely undone all of the effort her troopers, Senators Amidala and Chuchi, and herself had put into creating their relationship with the Empire. It is why she was taught that while the Dark Side of the Force can feel gratifying in the short term, it ultimately leads to a feeling of emptiness and remorse in the long term and she was definitely feeling them now. She had hurt the Prince, which felt gratifying, but her actions didn't improve her friend's condition and had likely hurt their position with the Empire, hence the emptiness and remorse.

Finally landing at the base, they would be greeted by Wrench. He would become surprised when he saw who it was on the stretcher. He knew that Eila and Vania were friends. Just before Ramius and the rest of RT3 would carry Vania to the medical facility, Eila ordered that they keep her sedated until the base doctor could determine whatever the Prince had done to her. Eila ordered Fordo to join them as a counter in case she burned through the sedatives quickly. Once they were out of sight, she took a breath and pinched the bridge of her nose at wondering how they were going to recover from this. While she thought of a solution, Wrench would approach her.

"General?" He said but she didn't respond. "Eila?" He tried again.

Acknowledging him, she decided to be open, "Wrench. I did something very bad."

Wrench was expecting that she probably killed some slave master based on him seeing Vania being taken away in ragged slave clothing. He didn't really think that would be bad.

"I used the Force on the Crown Prince and hurt him."

"Oh!" He exclaimed. Even if she didn't kill anyone, the fact that she harmed royalty would be a serious blow to the diplomatic relationship. Although, he felt that her action was justified since Vania being taken away to the medical facility obviously meant that the Prince did something awful to her.

Despite being a justifiable reason, he knew the repercussions that could result from this, "What do you want to do, General?" He asked, "Should we still continue with the peace talks or…?" He silently thought of retaliation if she ordered it.

Eila shut her eyes and shook her head, "I—I don't know, Wrench." After a moment of thinking, she spoke again, "Can you—can you contact Princess Pina if she and her father are still okay with going through with the talks? She has a holoprojector with her for communication."

"You still want to talk to them after what they did?"

She hesitated to answer for a moment but said, "It was only one person who did it. And I—" She paused and changed what she was going to say, "We have to salvage this effort. I'll make a personal apology later."

"Yes, General."

"I'm—I'm sorry. I need to be alone for a moment." She began to walk off.

Wrench watched her leave and thought that she looked even more gloomy than when he chastised her choice to take on the fire dragon alone weeks ago. Walking to his own office, Wrench called Pina through the holoprojector.

Pina appeared before him, "Oh? You are…Commander Wrench was it? I'm sorry but it's sometimes hard to tell with you clones."

Noticing a part of her difficulty, he removed his helmet, "It's alright, Princess. The General is wondering if you and your father still wish to continue with the talks."

Pina was surprised, "R—Really?! Even after what my brother did to your companion?"

'_I thought the same thing._' But, he silently nodded to her statement.

"W—Well, if you still want to, my father has agreed to the talks. Some of the Ministers and Generals who came in after your people left were a bit upset especially after being told what had happened but they are loyal to his word. My father has seen that the Empire can't stand against you so he feels that it's prudent to try to bring a peace. My father instructed me to present your case to the Imperial Senate tomorrow."

"Okay. That's good to hear." He sighed with satisfaction that a primary goal had at least been achieved despite everything else. He continued, "By the way, the General will make a personal apology about this incident at another time."

"An apology? That's not necessary, Commander. We did something wrong as well. That person my brother had. She was a friend of the General's wasn't she? It's understandable she would get angry."

"I know, Princess. But I know she would insist."

Pina thought on it for a moment and agreed, "Alright. I will accept the General's apology. I'll contact you again Commander, when an opportunity arises for us to meet again."

Wrench and Pina nodded to each other and cut the transmission.

* * *

After a few days, Eila decided to stop keeping Vania under sedation. She needed to know what was going on in her friend's mind. Ordering everyone out of the room, in case Vania decided to go wild, Eila examined the medical report the base doctor gave to her while sitting next to the bed.

The report read out that Vania was actually in relatively good health. She wasn't suffering from conditions usually associated with slaves like malnourishment though she did have some bruises along with a few scars on her hands and arms. Instead, her blood work indicated several chemicals the Republic knew had a mind controlling effect as well as specific brain chemicals that were on a higher level than normal. Those brain chemicals were connected to making a person feel happy. Whatever the Prince did to her, Eila could see that Vania would have enjoyed it. It made sense to her now why Vania wouldn't want to come home. Having written the report, the base doctor had already taken steps to slowly re-balance Vania's brain chemicals and counteract the mind controlling agents so at least if she were to wake now, she should be back to her old self. The doctor was also already researching a possible defense. Although, Eila still pondered on why there was a kyber crystal roped around her neck before.

Soon enough, Vania began to stir. She jolted awake but when she tried to get up, she couldn't since her arms and legs were restrained to the bed.

"Wh—what?" She said but then looked around and saw that she was in room common to a Republic base with a familiar face next to her.

"E—Eila?" She inquired.

Eila paused as she looked into Vania's eyes. They weren't empty anymore. She responded, "Yeah, it's me, Vania. You remember me?"

Vania slowly nodded and asked, "W—Where am I?"

"You're on a Republic base, on the Empire's side of the Gate."

"The E—Empire? The Gate?" A flood of memories came back to her. However, there were still sizeable gaps she couldn't recall in-between. Still, the events she could remember were masked under a bizarre euphoria but she was beginning to understand that the joy she felt was a lie and began to tear up, "I—I—"

Vania openly sobbed. Eila hesitated but moved off her seat to comfort her. She had been evaluating Vania through the Force and it wasn't indicating any danger. Moving to the bed, she slowly stroked her head and soothed her, "It's okay. It's okay. You're home now."

"The Prince! The Prince! He—He—" She was starting to remember what Zorzal did, _vividly_.

"I know. I know. You're safe. You're safe."

In-between sobs, Vania began to repeat over and over, "You weren't there! You weren't there! You weren't there!"

She would try to shake Eila but her restraints prevented her from doing it properly. Eila understood her mantra to be that she hadn't been there for her during her darkest moments.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Eila felt immense guilt for not acting sooner in locating her. There had just been far more pressing issues that pushed that personal goal aside. But the best she could do now was try to bring some peace to her friend.

After some time had past of her continuing to soothe Vania, Eila used the Force to put her to sleep. It would be one small part of trying to calm her mind which was jumbled with all sorts of emotions. Feeling worried that he hadn't heard from Eila since ordering everyone out, Wrench entered the room.

"General?"

"Wrench?"

Walking towards them, he would see Eila continuing to lightly stroke Vania's head. He would ask, "Is General Solon, alright?"

She nodded, "Yeah. She just needed some time to cry it out."

"I know it may seem inappropriate but is General Solon…?" He just wanted to be sure.

Thinking for moment, she answered, "No. I don't think she's been turned. What happened back at the Imperial Palace; it was whatever the Prince put into her. I've also felt her impressions through the Force. Confusion. Pain. Violation." She paused, "I'm sending her back to Coruscant when the doctor feels she's ready to be moved. The healers at the Jedi Temple can do a more complete treatment for her. Particularly for her mind."

Trusting her assessment, he wondered, "Hmm? Something I don't understand, General. General Solon is a Jedi. Why didn't she escape? Shouldn't the Force have protected her from any kind of mind control?"

"I'm sure she would've tried to escape, Wrench. But the doctor tested some of the mind controlling chemicals found in her. She was given a rather excessive dose and the doctor determined that with that much stuff flowing through her, she could have been made to believe you were her mother. As for the Force, I'm not sure what the Prince did to get around it. The healers at the Temple might be able to figure it out."

Unbeknownst to them, the mind controlling agents had been enchanted with magic to enhance their effect. The crystal Eila plucked helped intensify the effect even more than just the magic alone. Zorzal didn't know that what he was using had magic, but Tyuule certainly did. For Tyuule, even though she didn't truly know exactly who Vania was, it was just another level of assurance to guarantee a person would comply with any order, even hers if there was a moment where it was needed.

"I wonder if that's happened to all the other people?" Wrench wondered.

Eila turned aside and thought the same. She wondered if the other people taken from Coruscant were also living out some delusion. Believing they were rightly serving their masters in bliss, not recognizing the truth behind their position.

After a few moments, Wrench would speak up again, "This must be hard for you, General. To see your friend like this."

She turned away from him again and after a while, she gave a light nod with her tearing up a bit, "She taught me more than Krell ever did about being a Jedi. I kind of hoped I could have been her padawan when I was making my way to knighthood. But she never accepted an apprentice despite having had enough years of experience to handle one. She also introduced me to a life outside the Order. She believed that the Order's monotony and insistence of detachment can be just as bad as having unhealthy attachments that can lead to the Dark Side of the Force. There has to be a balance. But I feel like I've proven her wrong. My attachment to her made me tap into the Dark Side. I would have probably kept going if Fordo didn't snap me out of it."

Wrench only had a vague understanding of the Dark Side and of the Force. Though it was quite obvious that the Dark Side was a bad thing given its name alone. Still, he felt that Eila was mistaken, "No. I think General Solon is still right. From what I've seen, attachment isn't an inherently evil thing. As an example, I love my brothers. I'd do anything to get them through these wars and so far, it looks like it's been working. But I do know one particular clone, early in the war, who thought he doing the right thing for us but he just ended up endangering the very people he was trying protect. Attachment for him was twisted into something wrong. I've come believe, it's how we approach attachments that makes it good or evil. And yes, while your attachment to General Solon did make you tap into this Dark Side thing, how you handle it from now on determines whether it will be a good or evil thing permanently."

Eila thought on his words and a small smile developed on her face as she lightly joked, "Wow, Wrench. Maybe you can take over for Master Yoda back at the Temple."

* * *

Removing the dressing over his nose, Zorzal lightly touched his nose but flinched at the pain he still felt. Growling angrily at the injury, he rolled into his bed and fumbled with a letter he was handed by a courier. Entering the room, Tyuule approached Zorzal and could see he was having a bit of a laughing fit.

"What seems to be the matter, your Highness?"

"Haha! Read this!" He tossed the letter to her.

Quickly going over the letter, Tyuule stated, "An apology?"

Zorzal broke out in laughter, "Hahaha! That crazy bitch! That crazy Republic! They willingly humiliate themselves to us! Hahaha!" He accidentally grazed his nose, "Crap! Get me some ice, Tyuule!"

While Tyuule skittered away, Zorzal's brother, Diabo, would keep him company with a discussion on intelligence, foolishness, the throne, and a dismissive attitude to the peace talks their father had approved. Grabbing some ice, Tyuule wondered how she could use the situation to her advantage.

To her, for the Republic to apologize was a rather odd move. She felt perplexed at why they would do such a thing. In a moment of weakness, she thought if she could just run to them for asylum given the soft response they had given to what should have been a trigger for more war. She had likewise had been hearing the stories of them helping people regardless if they were human or not. But that moment snapped away as she remembered her ultimate goal. News from her infiltrator, Bouro, had mentioned that Vania has already been moved away from their reach. It was too soon. Gritting her teeth, she felt that she had missed an opportunity to use Vania as a catalyst to spur the Republic into destroying the Empire. It was the reason she let them take her away in the first place without protesting. She needed a new plan. Getting called back by Zorzal, she rushed to his side with ice. Handing it to him, he asked her on the status of the other 'prizes' taken from the Republic.

"A number of them have died in occupational accidents. Mining collapses, bandit raids, the earth-shake. Though there are a few left who are still alive. Some are attached to Senators as attendants." She explained, "Those Senators are willingly handing them over after it was explained to them by Princess Pina of who the Republic is and their goals and what one of their people did to you."

"That's outrageous! We need slaves to do the jobs we don't want to do!" Diablo shouted.

"Calm yourself, Diablo. Let them take back their people." Zorzal said.

Diablo recoiled at his brother's sudden kindness. It was weird. But then he quickly realized, "You want to make yourself look like one of those pro-peace cowards?!"

"Yes. And that will validate me as a worthy successor to father and not _you_."

Diablo cringed at his jab. But Zorzal just wanted to push that he was the favored son.

Zorzal continued, "Becoming father's successor will give me all the power I need to then destroy the Republic when they let their guard down. Simple tactics, brother."

Diablo would promptly leave in disgust of his brother's ambitions and suicidal plans. Diablo had also been there at the Imperial Senate when Pina made her case about the Republic. Their intentions and their strength. It surprised the Senators and they would be even more surprised when numerous Senators, who were at Pina's party, came forward and candidly proposed peace negotiations without hesitation. It astounded them and him that his father accepted it immediately. Although, while he didn't like the defeatism in the Senate, he understood that standing against them militarily would be useless given the descriptions Pina gave. She even used the holoprojector she had with her to push her point. He saw no reason that Pina would lie. But he felt that they could defeat them in other ways. Nonetheless, if they were still going to lose, he had unknowingly aligned himself with his father's ideals on preserving the Empire's status rather than destroy it in a suicidal gamble to take down the Republic like Zorzal.

"Still," Zorzal wondered out loud once he and Tyuule were alone, "What will I do with the Republic? Father's gone soft on them. So has the Senate. I must act and strike at the Republic now."

Tyuule moved into the bed to comfort him but made it careful not to utter 'patience' in his haste to defeat the Republic. It would be simple suicide to challenge the Republic but Tyuule wanted Zorzal to gather the whole Empire under his banner before making a move.

Wanting to slow him down a bit, she suggested, "You can weaken them first, your Highness. Why not talk to those who have survived fighting them? They'll have insights in how to fight now that they know the Republic."

"Hmm? That's actually a good idea, Tyuule!" Zorzal said as he groped her, "Although, that bitch is going to be a problem. Her magic is troublesome. How cowardly to use it in a fight!"

"M—Mmm! Yes! Very cowardly, your Highness!" Tyuule moaned and then she stumbled into an idea, "W—Why not turn her? Vania is apparently like her. She could also use that 'magic' and the light sword too."

Zorzal's eyes lit up as he tightened his grip on her, "Yes. Yes! Vania is like her! Tyuule! You've done it again!"

* * *

_Author's Note_: Finally! Another one down. I've also addressed Dreiundzwanzig's review in a PM. I felt that it would be too long to address it here. Thanks again for reading!


	15. Coup For A Day

Zorzal's plans to combat the Republic were quickly made once he met with Kurasta, Mudra, and Helm, who were the three nobles captured alongside Count Formal during the expedition through the Gate. While Count Formal was simply happy to return to his daughter, the three of them didn't appreciate being released by the Republic as they felt humiliated by their incarceration. Suggestions of guerrilla warfare, use of human shields and/or hostages, and infiltration tactics to cause confusion among the clone troopers were discussed between Zorzal and the nobles. Zorzal agreed to all of them and tasked the three nobles to implement such plans and any others that can tip the balance of power in what he felt was now his personal war with the Republic. He felt insulted by Pina and his father's soft attitudes towards them since they had chosen to accept proceeding with the peace talks. He felt equally insulted to have been beaten down with the Republic's 'magic'. But, what he failed to understand was that Pina and his father understood the power of the Republic and that it should be handled carefully. While Pina does intend a genuine attempt at peace, his father simply wanted the Empire to bide its time to catch up. These concepts however, escaped Zorzal's mind. He simply wanted immediate action with overwhelmingly positive results. Unfortunately for him and his nobles, the plans they made weren't panning out as they had hoped.

At the base in Alnus, Hoot and Ray were dumbfounded when they would be approached by a trio of their 'men' at the entrance to the base. They were on guard duty at the entrance as part of the regular rotation of the duty roster when they weren't out exploring.

"Let me in, duplicated soldiers!" The leader of the trio ordered, puffing his chest to the two troopers.

"Uhh, no." Hoot stated as he remained confused at the leader's confidence in his blatant lie.

"Why not?!" The man demanded.

The two troopers looked at each other and began passing the responsibility around.

"Why don't you explain, Ray?" Hoot said as he motioned to his partner.

"Why not you, Hoot?" Ray implored upon his companion.

"No, no. I insist." Hoot said.

"Alright, fine. I'll explain it to this idiot." Ray conceded.

Clearing his throat, Ray began, "You want to know why we won't let you in? It's_ painfully_ obvious you guys are definitely not one of us."

"What?!" The man nervously called out, "We're definitely one of you! We're wearing your armor!"

"That's actually the point. Your armor's all wrong. For one thing, the white you're using isn't the right hue. And we have green markings in a distinctive pattern while your markings seemed to have been just lazily painted on. Two, your armor doesn't even cover you completely like ours. And three, your armor is clearly just Imperial armor painted white! We can also see your eyes! Can you see ours in our helmet? Also, where's your blasters? We never leave the base without one. But what you're holding instead...are those sticks painted black?! Are you a moron?!"

"W—Well…" The man pathetically tried to defend himself.

"Another thing is that you don't sound like us or even remotely look like us without armor. And you guys aren't even the same height as us or even to yourselves! We're _identical_ clones!"

The man slowly began to back away as did his two companions.

"Oh!" Ray exclaimed, "And just one more final detail, impersonating one of us is a crime and you're all under arrest."

The men quickly bolted away from them. Their faith in their leaders' plan was shaken at how quickly it had fallen apart. They were convinced the clones wouldn't notice any of their imperfections since Zorzal and his friends gave the details for their armor and they insisted that clone troopers were hardly intelligent. They blindly believed that Zorzal and his friends couldn't be wrong. Ultimately, the blame was on the impersonators as well since they agreed to the plan despite never having met a clone trooper before.

Ray sighed, casually drew his blaster, set it to stun, and shot the running men. The two troopers picked up the leader and intended to throw him in the brig while calling for more troopers to pick up the other two.

While dragging the man along, Hoot casually joked, "Heh! Looks like we did let him in. Right into a cell!"

Ray could only roll his eyes.

The incident would be reported to Fordo who passed it along to Eila. Wanting to interrogate the leader of the trio herself given the nature of the crime, Eila stood in front of the man's cell and intended to know why he was pathetically trying to impersonate a clone trooper. The man remained defiant at her questioning.

"Hmph! I won't answer to Republic scum! Let alone a woman!"

Not wanting to waste time, Eila waved her arm, "You will tell me your purpose here."

"I will tell you my purpose here." The man parroted. His companions in the adjoining cells were shocked that their leader was about to casually give away secrets. They would try to snap him out of it but Eila also waved her hand at the two of them to sit down and keep quiet. They obediently followed.

"Why are you here?" She questioned.

"To cause confusion in the Republic ranks."

"Who ordered this?"

"Prince Zorzal."

Pursing her lips, Eila ordered the prison block troopers to interrogate the men separately if there was anything more to Zorzal's idiotic plan. When there were interrogated later on, they didn't really know anything much further. The Prince and the nobles sincerely believed their plan would work but were smart enough to not inform the men with more information on their other endeavors in case they were captured. She sighed heavily leaving the brig. Moving to her office, she explained the situation to Wrench.

"Looks like the Prince didn't accept the apology." She said, "He's trying to send infiltrators at us."

"What should we do, General?" Wrench asked.

Eila sighed in frustration, "Outside of accusing them directly or declaring open war on the Empire, we can only bolster our security."

"But," Wrench interjected, "We have been give the authority"

Eila nodded along and considered what she should do. She had forced the Republic's hand in apologizing after Vania's return. Tarkin and the other military leaders were fuming that she didn't bomb them immediately in retaliation but could do nothing since bombing the Empire after apologizing would break the relationship she was trying to mend. Although, she did find it strange that Tarkin was willing to clamor for retaliation for what was done to a Jedi given his previous history. Still, she did always feel that they needed to retaliate against the Empire, particularly Zorzal, in some way. It was helpful that Chancellor Palpatine ended up authorizing using any means to retaliate against any actions committed against them because of Vania. Although, Eila did feel conflicted in likely authorizing actions that could be seen as duplicitous to the overall image they put up for themselves. But since they were given the authority, they might as well use it.

"If I may General, we can infiltrate him right back. We do have the commandos in Akusho." Wrench suggested.

Eila's eyes brightened at the suggestion. It wasn't overtly violent and was more on intelligence gathering. The intelligence gained could be used as retaliation. "Yes! We can have the commandos spy on him. I'll expand their original orders. I want to know the Prince's routine and his plans for us. We can counter accordingly."

"Even with that, you still plan on going to the official opening of the peace talks coming in a week?"

She paused and answered, "Yeah, but Senator Chuchi is the only one who could make it. Senator Amidala had other obligations apparently. And I should be there since I screwed up our relationship with the Empire in the first place."

"What you did, wasn't completely unjustified."

She dodged his statement and quickly said, "It's also a chance to get close to the Prince so I can figure out what he's trying to do if the commandos can't find anything significant."

Wrench nodded along knowing she had sidestepped his words. For the banquet, he would be going with her anyway to the opening. He had intended to go with Senator Chuchi alone if Eila felt her presence would be problem. He would also be the only escort. To not cause distress to the Imperials who had not yet met them with a full team of troopers to the banquet, Wrench applied Pina's suggestion when Eila and RT3 first met the Emperor to keep the military escort small.

Wrench then wondered about something, "What of Captain Fordo and his team? You assigned them different mission. I'd would've thought you'd have them on point for something like this." He assumed she would use them as a back up team outside the banquet just in case.

She answered, "Yeah, I've given them another mission independent from this. Although, not a mission as you'd might think. Lelei came to me for a favor. She wants to go to a city called Rondel."

"Rondel?"

"Yeah. It's a city where all of Falmart's mages go to study and become recognized as masters. Lelei's hoping to become recognized as one given everything she's learned from us. It's purely an academic city."

"An academic city? Why need a fully armed escort for Ms. Lalena then?"

"She doesn't, but given that Rondel is far from here, bandits are still a possibility. They also can't take LAATs there since we haven't made contact with that city yet. Don't want to spook the locals. We also do owe her for cooperating with us since we got here. She really just wants company for the trip too."

"I understand, but what if Republic Command comes snooping and criticizes why we spent resources over her, despite her contributions to this campaign?"

"Even if it does come off as if we're throwing our resources for personal errands, it still falls under our mandate to explore. Rondel is a new city for us. I've also added that once their done in Rondel, Fordo and his team can go off to any point of interest on our list of places to explore."

He nodded to that reason and continued, "When do they leave?"

"Tomorrow. Rory, Tuka, and Yao will be going with them too."

Wrench gave a smirk, "Your servant's not joining us at the Imperial banquet?"

Eila scoffed, "She was never my servant and well, she has found someone else."

Ever since the incident with Giselle and the fire dragon, Yao now happily served Rory. She even changed a part of her name to show her devotion. She became convinced that Rory was a more legitimate god than Hardy. Although, unlike Eila, Rory was initially less than enthused by the sudden attention to her whims but was now enjoying the pampering.

Planning ahead however, Wrench wanted to know if she had one for the Prince. "What of the Prince?" He asked. "We know he's opposed to these talks that are going to start when the Emperor makes it official."

Eila meditated on it for a moment, "I know that he'll be opposed it. We should assume he'll try something."

"Do you have a plan for that, General?"

She thought on it, thinking of possible outcomes the Prince may take to stop the talks. Ultimately, she knew that the intelligence the commandos will gather will be essential to planning ahead.

* * *

Upon receiving the additional orders, the commandos quickly went to work to spy on the Prince in preparation for the banquet. Within a day they had already accomplished much of what the orders contained. Infiltration was an easy job, especially against people who have never encountered their tactics and that the commandos were already able to predict the guard rotations and patterns with little hassle. Now began the boring phase of watching the Prince through macrobinoculars to simply keep an eye on his day to day business. Two days into the surveillance, Korg yawned as he had been observing the Prince for four hours on his night shift. Watching through his scope on top of one of the buildings in Akusho with a clear line of sight on the Palace, Korg watched Zorzal go down on Tyuule again. Click came up from behind him and asked if there were any changes.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." He sounded off bored. "Just him fucking the bunny lady again. This guy's routine hardly ever changes. He wakes up, has breakfast, sleeps with bunny lady, and has lunch. His routine after changes between going out for some exercize, lazing around or laughing it up with his buddies. His chats with them are usually about us or the 'cowards' around them. Then he has dinner, and sleeps with bunny lady again."

"Anything interesting with his talks to his friends come up?" Click asked.

"No. Still complaining about how their infiltrators failed, complaining about the upcoming peace talks, and how much the Republic sucks for being unfair with its 'magic'. He's basically on repeat with that crap."

"So whining."

"Yep. Just whining." After a moment, Korg said, "Although, it does concern me when they leave the Palace. They go to that Imperial stronghold that's far from here. It's too bad we can't get close since the landscape for that place is too open for us to hide and a probe droid flying around is bound to get noticed. We don't know what their doing there."

"Well, we can't have everything." Click said.

After a few moments of silence, Korg spoke up again, "Sir, what's the point of keeping tabs on the Prince? _They're_ already in place. Jox and Rook's infiltration was perfect. Hitting them at night is too easy. And our contacts certainly helped placing the rest of them around the Palace because they were hired as workers for that upcoming gala. The Imperials didn't notice anything getting disturbed. We don't really need to keep watching this pig with them installed."

"I know, but the General wants to know if he's planning anything more than what _they_ could catch. Those infiltrators, while they failed, is setting off alarms that the Prince is the greatest threat to peace in this place."

"Heh. Why not let him break the peace? It'll make our jobs easier when we blast them all."

"While I agree, the Republic is still spread too thin to deal with a larger war here. The continued hunt for General Grievous is taxing our forces more and more."

"Well, what about when we do find Grievous and finally kill him?"

"Maybe then. Maybe then we can support a larger war here."

"Heh. Can't wait."

* * *

With Senator Chuchi back with them again and still wearing a disguise, Pina welcomed them back to the Imperial Capital and sent them to their quarters in the Palace. Waiting for the banquet to start soon, Wrench fumbled around with a formal suit that had been brought from Coruscant for him to wear. To further ease the minds of the Imperial guests they would be joining, Wrench would forgo wearing his armor. He'd still have a blaster on his person just in case. Struggling to fix his collar, he would hear a knock on the door. Opening it, Eila would be there to greet him.

"Well?" She wondered, "Are you ready?"

"Oh! Well…" He gave a small grin concerning his unkempt self.

Eila looked at his current state and understood he would be unfamiliar with formal civilian clothing. She guessed that someone must have helped him put on that suit back then when they went to Coruscant before she called them all to their ship.

"Here, let me help you." She offered. She would go on to fix his collar, straighten his sleeves, and pat down his suit to remove wrinkles.

While she continued with her tasks, Wrench would feel strangely about her renewed appearance for the banquet. She was wearing formal and elegant Jedi robes which was jarring from her normal attire of Jedi combat robes with pieces of clone armor. She had also let her hair down in which he was surprised at how long and feathered it actually was extending down to her shoulders. He was too used to seeing it in a bun. It was an odd sight to him.

Feeling his gaze on her, Eila smiled back at him once she finished fixing his suit. "There. All finished." She declared.

"Y—Yes. Thank you, General."

Wanting to shift gears, she asked, "Remember the intel?"

"Yes. I'll keep an eye out."

They would leave together to join Senator Chuchi who was already waiting for them. They kept themselves between Chuchi to act as bodyguards.

Entering the bustling throne room full of guests, the three of them would be greeted by Pina who would tell them exactly what they should do when the moment comes. Quickly leaving the room, Pina re-entered, along with her father and brother to be introduced into the throne room with the proper fanfare. While they walked in, Chuchi would tap Eila and would call her attention to Zorzal.

"So that's Prince Zorzal?" Chuchi questioned as she never personally met the man. Only a close encounter that she was quickly escorted away from.

"Yes, Senator. He's the one opposed to all of this."

"I see. He doesn't look particularly dangerous. Rather dimwitted in fact. But he did capture one of you. Hmm, I guess he's smarter than he looks." She wondered.

Being reminded of Vania, Eila bitterly responded, "Yes, he did. But I believe you should just ignore him, Senator. Focus on Emperor Molt. He, at least, seems reasonable."

Nodding to her advice, the guests in attendance would send their applause to the procession of prisoners entering the room that were returned to them by the Republic. The Empire already made its first payment with a mix of money and material resources. While most of the former prisoners were quite happy to be home, there were a few, who shared the Prince's ideals, maintained a disappointed look on their faces. Like Zorzal and his friends, they continued to feel ashamed to have been captured and then returned on negotiations. They believed that the Empire was now at a disadvantage and were obsessed with regaining their honor.

Zorzal felt particularly resentful even more than before since he would explain his position to his father prior to the banquet that they should push for all out war. But his father rebuffed him in explaining that a leader should plan for a war well. But if things weren't going the way it should, then peace should be sought after because if a total defeat is allowed, then there would be no one to discuss the terms for peace. Zorzal merely scoffed at his father's words before they entered the throne room. There was a part of him that wished his father should just drop dead along with his philosophy.

Eventually, one of the Imperial guardsmen would announce Chuchi, Eila, and Wrench's presence. On cue from Pina's instructions on what to do, they approached and bowed to the Emperor.

"Greetings, your Majesty. On behalf of the Galactic Republic, we thank you for your audience." Chuchi politely said.

"Yes. Thank you for coming all this way, Senator Chuchi. I welcome you to the Saderan Empire." Molt responded.

While some people murmured about the use of the term, Galactic Republic; from the corner of his eye, Wrench would notice Zorzal glaring angrily at his father along with his buddies Kurasta, Mudra, and Helm. Looking around some more, he would notice Tyuule in the shadows of a corner. Completely isolated and also staring at the Emperor as well as Zorzal. She carried a smirk. He took it as a cue that things might soon get dicey.

After the introductions, the Emperor openly announced to his people that peace talks between the Empire and the Republic would begin. It would be met with thunderous applause with the objectors remaining silent. Once the festivities were underway, Pina finally sat down relieved that her wish to preserve the Empire had been accomplished. Taking her moment of peace before the actual work to finalize the paperwork with the Republic started, one of the announcers would take the time to explain that the Imperial military had been taking steps to combat the bandit groups terrorizing various villages. The people applauded their soldiers' efforts which Eila and Wrench both understood that the Empire needed some sort of victory after the pasting the Republic had given them previously. Eila had ultimately left the bandit problem to the Empire as it was a last minute condition Senator Moltose pushed to ensure his support.

As the Imperials patted themselves on the back for essentially dealing with rogue Imperial soldiers, Wrench would tap on Eila's shoulder. Giving each other a look and knowing what it meant, she gave a quick nod to him to execute.

Before leaving, he quickly asked, "General, did you…"

"I know. I already took it." She answered.

Satisfied, he excused himself from Eila and Chuchi's presence.

The Emperor eventually wanted to give a toast to his soldiers who had fought valiantly against the bandit hordes. Raising his goblet, Molt unknowingly drank in poison that Tyuule had slipped into his wine. From the shadows, Tyuule smiled at everyone's sudden panic when the Emperor quickly collapsed. A renewed ploy to push war. Although, she felt some frustration that the Emperor didn't drink it all. Pina called out to her father in vain while Zorzal looked initially shocked at the event that just took place. However, his face turned to sadistic glee as it quickly dawned on him that his succession had just occurred. Tyuule had been counting on his lust for the throne and war and he was playing the part well as he immediately declared his right.

"The Emperor has fallen ill! As his loyal son and next in line for the throne, I am now ruler of the Empire in my father's stead!" He declared.

Some of the guests looked at each other in confusion that his first statement wasn't to get help for his father immediately but some others in the crowd, who wanted to continue the war, roared in cheers to the Prince. They knew exactly where he stood.

"Guards! Take my father to his quarters! Call the doctor to tend to him!" Zorzal continued.

The guards quickly took Molt away. Pina was too distraught about her father to even realize that her brother had quickly seized power as she followed her father out of the room.

Chuchi bowed her head in disappointment at the Emperor's collapse and Zorzal's declaration. She understood exactly what his rule would mean. He could easily declare them enemies of the state. She knew he would hardly respect diplomatic immunity. Although, before she could urge Eila to follow her out despite having been informed of this eventuality, Eila shook her head.

"Senator, please follow Princess Pina." She said.

"W—What? What about you? You know what the Prince can do now." Chuchi protested.

"It's alright, Senator. I'll be fine. It's all part of what I explained to you. But please, go with the Princess. She can still protect you."

Quickly sneaking her way to the door, Chuchi looked back at Eila. She felt worried over the plan but reluctantly left to follow Pina. All alone, Eila wearily sighed knowing what was coming. Surely enough, Zorzal made his claim.

"As my first act as your new Emperor, I am overturning my father's decision to negotiate with the Republic!"

His words would be met with more confusion from some of the guests in attendance while the others were just waiting in glee for him to declare more of what they wanted to hear.

"The Empire is weak right now! After only a few minor defeats, the Senate has given up on fighting and poisoned the mind of my father into accepting peace! Now it looks to me that these spineless cowards have literally poisoned my father to ensure their way!"

Eila almost snorted at his baseless claim about the poisoning of his father. Still, the pro-war crowd growled in anger, having taken the Prince's words at face value.

"As such!" Zorzal continued, "I am placing the Republic's ambassadors under arrest!" He pointed directly at Eila.

While Zorzal was confused at where the other two went, he motioned to the guards to apprehend Eila. Even though some of the Imperial guardsmen held their own personal doubts about the Prince, they ultimately obeyed. Surrounding her and taking hold of Eila by the arms, Mudra, Kurasta, and Helm approached. Helm fumbled around her robes before finally grabbing what he wanted.

Pulling out her lightsaber, Helm mocked her while he waved it in front of her face, "Not so powerful now, are you?"

Eila offered no resistance. Looking around, she knew starting a fight near civilians would be dangerous anyway.

No longer tolerating the spectacle, Senator Moltose approached Zorzal, along with a number of pro-peace Senators who had attended.

"Pri—Emperor! You cannot do this! The Republic's ambassadors have diplomatic immunity!" Senator Moltose protested.

Zorzal smiled smugly, "As Emperor, I can revoke it." The unlimited political power an Emperor carried reared its ugly side to his benefit.

"This is absurd! It goes against our conventions when dealing with other nations and the Senate will never approve of this ludicrous action!"

"Oh! You mean the same Senate that was about to sign away the Empire's dignity for peace?! You've chosen the wrong side, Senator! And my father had been so fond of you. Guards! Arrest the lot of them! They've committed treason against the Empire by conspiring with the Republic!" Zorzal motioned to all of the pro-peace Senators. He continued to smile smugly that all of his enemies had been corralled into a single room, ready to be arrested.

The crowd was still confused at the situation but a few openly opposed the arrests given that those who were opposing were the wives of the Senators being arrested. They would promptly be apprehended along with their husbands. Any who had chosen to defy Zorzal were quickly escorted out to the dungeons. The remaining crowd who were still dumbfounded over what had just transpired would be snapped out of it when Zorzal called to them.

"Enjoy yourselves!" He called. "This banquet is now a celebration of my coronation!"

* * *

The next day, Pina looked down at the courtyard of the Palace from her father's room while a doctor continued to assess him. She watched her brother give a rousing speech to suppress the few remaining ardent pro-peace Senators who had escaped his clutches and continue the war with the Republic. There were some pro-peace Senators in attendance who quickly switched sides knowing the price for defiance. The sudden and very public execution of Senator Moltose and his family who chose to die with him in defiance, along with a few other Senators who refused to switch, convinced them of that. Treason quickly became an overused term. The suppression of the few pro-peace Senators Zorzal could find in his few short hours as Emperor progressed swiftly as he unwittingly used the system his father had set up when hints of defeatism came up in the Senate during their first encounters with the Republic. Although, his father had intended the Oprichnina to be used as a last resort, not the first option to dissuade dissent.

Continuing to watch Zorzal make grandiose promises in crushing the Republic and improving the state of the Empire, Pina had already tried to get her other brother, Diablo, to side with her but he ran away wanting to bring in the other nations of Falmart to stop Zorzal. She shook her head, not agreeing to his reasoning. Bringing in the other nations would simply split the Empire to pieces if they took down Zorzal. The other nations wouldn't be able to resist taking a piece of the Empire as compensation for their involvement. She saw them as more opportunistic than the Republic.

Seeing his cheering supporters among the military, the pro-war Senators, and mislead masses, Pina turned away in disgust and left the room. She would see Grey standing by a pillar outside, waiting for her to come to him. Moving to him, Grey spoke first, "We've managed to sneak Senator Chuchi to the Jade Palace along with Senator Tiberius and the Tyueli family. They were fortunate to act quickly to the news especially with the secret police on their heels. Our knights now guard them at the Jade Palace and the new Emperor and his secret police are still unaware of their whereabouts."

Nodding, Pina questioned, "Did you find Commander Wrench?"

"I'm sorry, Princess. We haven't found him. If the Imperial guardsmen had caught sight of him or the Oprichnina captured him, the Emperor would either have the whole Palace on alert or bragged about it. He's just disappeared."

Contemplating on where Wrench could have gone, Pina questioned further, "What of General Deova? Has she escaped her cell?"

"Surprisingly, no. She has made no attempts at escape."

Pina was confused. She knew what kind of abilities Eila had. They would have assured an easy escape. But thinking on it now, she also realized that there wasn't a bigger fuss by Eila when she was arrested. Pina wondered if they were planning something. Grey would snap her out of her thoughts as he would question on what was to be done next.

"Keep searching for Commander Wrench with our knights." She ordered. "But try not to draw attention to yourselves. I'm sure that the General and Commander are planning something about this but we should still be there just in case to protect them from my brother."

"And what are we truly going to do if your brother tries to force the General and Commander from us when that moment arrives? Or worse yet, if he learns of Senator Chuchi's and the pro-peace faction's location?"

Not hesitating, she declared, "Then defend them with your lives. Their survival means the Empire's survival."

After a moment of silence, Grey asked a hard question, "Do you wish a civil war, Princess?"

Pina didn't answer it but simply repeated her order to continue the search. Bowing to her order, Grey quickly left. Feeling compelled to confront her brother, she stormed off to see him once he was finished with his speech.

In his quarters, Zorzal sat on an armchair while Tyuule placed a drink on the table in front of him. He was feeling rather proud of himself that events had turned his way. Tyuule maintained a stoic expression but knew what he was thinking. She silently mocked him, thinking of him as a pathetic little boy who believes himself to be a man while also feeling slightly resentful that he was taking credit for her work when she planted the ideas in him and ensured the situation. But she knew to keep the resentment low since secretly pushing the Empire to its own destruction and tricking people into believing she played no part required silence. A knock on his door would catch his attention and Pina walked in looking frustrated.

"Brother!" She said, "Why overturn father's decision?! Why arrest General Deova and the Senators?!"

Zorzal answered with a smile on his face, "I overturned father's decision because those Senators have been bribed by the Republic."

She knew his accusation was bogus but she tried to reason with it anyway. "Bribed?!" She yelled. "Do you even have proof of that?!"

"Oh, I'm sure my three new Generals," He motioned to Helm, Kurasta, and Mudra, "Will find proof. Besides, I already know they were making decisions behind father's back anyway. Why else would they try to convince father to accept peace? And the Republic's General, well, she is legally an enemy combatant."

"That's ridiculous! She's acting as a diplomatic liaison, not as a combatant! She has immunity!"

"Which I have the authority to revoke it because I believe her to be a dangerous enemy that must detained immediately. I sure you remember how dangerous she is." He lightly touched his nose.

Pina cringed at the memory but saw that it flew over his head that he didn't find it strange Eila simply accepted her imprisonment.

Zorzal continued, "Do remember dear sister that I am Emperor now. _I make the decisions_ to protect our nation." He waited for his words to sink in. Once he felt satisfied, he went on, "Oh, that reminds me, why don't we bring in our esteemed guest."

With a snap of his fingers, the guards came in with their prisoner. Pina would be shocked when a mix of Imperial guardsmen and Oprichnina brought in Eila in chains and stripped down to the apparel a prisoner of the Empire is expected to wear.

"Brother, what the hell is this?!" She exclaimed.

"Assurance and insurance. And I don't want her to miss out on how we will destroy her forces."

Once her shock faded, Pina felt like rolling her eyes to her brother's second statement. She knew exactly why he had Eila brought into the room. It was just to gloat.

"Now," He called to his three Generals, "Tell my dear sister and the prisoner how we will face the Republic and protect the Empire."

"Of course, your Majesty." Helm responded. "We know that the Republic is too strong to face directly in battle so we've devised more indirect means of fighting them."

"Oh! How so?" Zorzal said, feigning ignorance.

"We'll round up various non-human and human mercenaries to attack settlements near Alnus. This will pull the Republic's attention away from us while we ready our forces to attack."

"Oh! But won't the Republic conclude we're attacking them by sending them these pawns?"

"They won't suspect it your Majesty. The Republic knows that there are still bandits around. We can simply point the blame at that group if they ask. Besides, the Republic is now too busy restoring some of the land that was scorched by us in our effort to slow them down."

"Splendid! But what of public opinion in those settlements near the Republic? How should we deal with it?"

"While our infiltrators have failed, we can still cause confusion. Having some mercenaries attack the settlements in white armor, particularly at night when it's hard to recognize details, can still convince the uneducated droves to blame the Republic. Their reputation will fall."

"Excellent! Do you have more?"

"Yes, your Majesty. Once we have engaged the Republic with our own forces, we should use civilians as shields to keep them off balance. The Republic is too soft to do what is necessary for victory if we have them given all the attention they gave to the slave they stole from you and this ridiculous 'do-gooder' look they've mislead the people into." Helm concluded.

"Wonderful! Well, what do you think, dear sister?" Zorzal said turning to her.

Pina merely gritted her teeth. She knew the Republic wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for Zorzal's schemes concerning the attacks on any settlements. They would easily have proof they weren't behind the attacks especially since they would only really need Rory to speak once in their favor and her brother's plan would fall apart in an instant in the eyes of the common people. It was also brazenly dishonorable to use human shields as it would be an appalling prospect to anyone in the Empire if they knew this part of his plan, even if they were to use slaves or the unwanted. Using this tactic would ensure that no one should ever trust the Empire and could likely induce inhumane violence against their soldiers if they were captured in war or, the gods forbid, use the Empire's citizens as shields in retaliation.

While feeling mortified on the path her brother was about to take the Empire, she continued to be dumbfounded by Eila's lack of action. She simply sat there, silent, and looking almost bored to the entire situation.

Seeing that his sister and his prisoner weren't answering, Zorzal moved on, "Despite what you may be thinking sister, we will ensure that the Republic falls for our plans. We must use these less than ideal methods against such a dishonorable enemy."

While Pina felt like screaming at Zorzal for his hypocrisy in using the word, 'dishonoroble', he motioned to Tyuule to give Eila a drink.

Getting up and taking the drink she had placed down earlier, she approached Eila. "Keep her still." Tyuule ordered to the guards.

With the guards holding her in place, Tyuule grasped her face and began forcing a liquid down her throat. She gagged but Tyuule persisted in making sure it was completely consumed. Once she felt satisfied that Eila had drank it all, she put a crystal around her neck and the guards forced her into the armchair opposite of Zorzal.

"What did you give her?!" Pina questioned in horror.

"A drink. One that bends the mind. Now," Zorzal said while waving the comlink he had taken from Eila, "I believe this is some sort of communication machine." He offered it to Eila, "Contact the people who were with you, General. Tell them to show themselves. And after, contact your base and tell them everything's fine."

Pina observed Eila's expression. She was stone faced and did not hesitate in taking the comlink from him. She then tapped the comlink but did not speak. Noticing a delay, Zorzal was about to demand why she was hesistating until they all heard the sound of a blaster going off and bodies dropping to the floor. Bursting into the room, Wrench, with his DC-17 drawn and still in the suit he wore to the banquet, came into the room.

"Commander!" Pina shouted.

Not addressing her call, Wrench moved into a position that gave him the advantage to engage any of the occupants in the room.

"Well, Prince Zorzal," Wrench said, "It seems you've been quite busy."

Unnerved that his guards outside his room weren't able to stop one man, he managed to say, "That's Emperor, simpleton!"

"Princess," He finally acknowledged Pina, "I'm sure you bore witness to all of the Prince's misdeeds."

Pina slowly nodded but questioned, "H—How did you know we'd be here?"

"Let's just say, I received the cue."

While Pina slowly realized what his 'cue' was, Zorzal made his boast to Wrench as he quickly grabbed Eila and intended to use her as a shield.

"Ha! You can't attack me! Not while I hold your General hostage!" He then thought of a 'brilliant' idea, "In fact, attack him General! Use your abilities to kill him!" Zorzal pushed Eila forward.

Wrench was hardly fazed by Zorzal's command. He simply maintained his posture and looked at Eila who stared right back at him. Growing impatient, Zorzal urged her to attack.

"Go! Go, bitch! Attack already!"

Seeing that she wasn't acting on his demand, Zorzal drew his sword and threatened to follow through with a swing on her neck.

"Move, you bitch!" He bellowed. Tyuule began shifting uncomfortably at why her contingency wasn't working. Still receiving no reaction, his patience finally wore down and he swung his sword intending to decapitate Eila.

"S—Sto—" Pina attempted to shout as time for her slowed in seeing her brother's sword approach Eila's neck.

But she would halt mid-shout when the blade stopped before the deadly strike. He would try to force the blade to continue but it remained suspended. He let go of the sword but it also remained in the air. It soon dawned on him why it stopped. The Imperials in the room would watch in amazement when the metal blade began to collapse in on itself. Bending and contorting to an unknown force, the blade fell to the ground like a crumpled sheet of paper. Zorzal nervously backed away and his Generals and guards drew their weapons.

Turning to face him, Eila casually responded, "I'm sorry 'Emperor', but I'm afraid I can't do that."

While Zorzal had a mix of fear and anger on his face, Tyuule was bewildered that the potion she gave had completely failed. She began silently cursing Bouro that both the potion and crystal he had always provided for persons that intrigued her interest was totally ineffective at such a crucial moment.

Trying to keep his anger above his fear, Zorzal boasted, "Ha! That stuff I gave might not have worked but you're still in chains and you and you're lapdog," He pointed at Wrench, "You're both alone, against all of us!"

Eila conceded to his point. She was still in chains, their were at least twelve guards including the Generals in the room that were a threat, and they were at least smart enough to keep her lightsaber in a different room. But she and Wrench were hardly rattled by Zorzal's threat as Wrench would call out, "That's actually wrong. Isn't that right, General?"

"Yeah, it is."

On cue, the clone commandos burst through the windows of the Prince's room. While initially shocked that a group of large, faceless, armored men just barged in, Zorzal's Generals and guards quickly changed their priorities and charged at the towering commandos. Helm, Kurasta, and Mudra had been given a second chance when they were released. The commandos wouldn't give them a third as they effortlessly blasted the charging men. Helm was the only one who managed to get close to Click to try to swing his sword despite having some holes in him. But he quickly met his end when Click grabbed his sword arm and then stabbed Helm in the throat with his retractable vibroblade from his knuckle plate. Casually tossing Helm's corpse aside, only Zorzal and Tyuule remained. Zorzal's smugness quickly fell apart as he was now a nervous wreck who began to back away to the secondary exit of his room.

Edging closer to the exit, he urged his remaining ally, "C—Come, Tyuule! D—Defend your Emperor!"

His obvious distress would be furthered, as Tyuule stood frozen at everything that just happened. She blankly stared at Eila, the commandos, and Wrench advancing on Zorzal as well as looking at the bodies of the dead Imperials that were easily killed. In her view, Zorzal was about to get what was coming to him given that he was personally responsible for the destruction of her people and the smearing of her reputation. But the Empire was still intact which frustrated her. She didn't know whether to be happy or upset at what she believed to be the upcoming and deadly results. Everything was happening too quickly for her to scheme a way out.

Pina was likewise overwhelmed at the events transpiring before her. She was relieved to have anticipated that Eila and Wrench would try something to counter her brother but she was equally terrified and overwhelmed at the sight of the clone commandos. They just didn't look like the clones she had met before. Although, she quickly began thinking of a way to stop Zorzal without Eila and her comrades proceeding with an action that she feared they would take.

Seeing that he has lost his final ally, Zorzal quickened his steps to the exit but would stop when Pina would try to talk him back.

"Brother," She softly began, "End this. Surrender now and you will see. Peace will make us a better Empire."

"P—Peace? Peace?!" He yelled with some incoherent babbling, "Peace is a lie! Y—You'll see, dear sister! You're far too trusting of them! Despite all their good intentions, they will turn on us! They will tear the Empire asunder! The Empire…the Empire that has stood for over 600 years! You will see, sister! **YOU WILL SEE**!"

Zorzal finally made it to the exit but once he turned the knob and tried to pull the door open, it refused. Panic set in as he furiously pulled at the door to the point the knob gave way and he fell to the floor with it in his hand. Quickly tossing it aside, he fiercely pulled at the hole the knob once occupied. Giving up, he turned to see Eila with her restrained hands outstretched. She was holding the door closed.

Angrily gritting his teeth, he felt he had nothing left to lose. Quickly turning to his sword, he at least wanted to strike back. He at least wanted to hurt Eila in someway. It didn't matter if he got her or the clones. It didn't matter if it killed them or only injured them. He just wanted to commit a final act of spite against the Republic. Bursting into a charge, everything seemed to slow down again as Pina called out to her brother to stop. The commandos aimed their blasters to stun him. Eila prepared to restrain him with the Force. But they would all be beaten at the draw when it would be Wrench who shot first. A stun bolt struck him and he fumbled forward into the ground unconscious.

Pina placed her hand over her mouth as tears began falling. She sincerely believed they had just killed him as she didn't know their weapons could stun. Tyuule would be the same as she snapped out of her frozen state to see the Prince collapsed on the ground. She would fall to her knees to freeze again as her plans had come to an incomplete end. She believed the man she had manipulated into position was dead. But she found it more upsetting that he hadn't even been able to accomplish any of her goals that would literally destroy the Empire from within.

"By the gods, you killed him!" Pina exclaimed. But she would be surprised when Eila and the clones looked at her with confusion.

Eila shook her head, "He's only stunned."

"S—Stunned?"

"Yes. He should wake up again in a few hours."

Tyuule's ears visibly twitched at the news. Seeing an opportunity, she quickly tried to scheme a way out of her situation. Maybe feigning innocence to the whole ordeal. But before she could make a move she was casually stunned by Click.

Pina was astonished by the action, "W—Why stun her?!"

Eila answered, "You'll know when we present the evidence."

Once her shock faded, Pina would order a new group of guards who eventually arrived to the incident to take Zorzal and Tyuule into custody. The new guards would be shocked at another sudden regime change but they obediently followed Pina's command along with not antagonizing Eila and the clones as they were quick to judge that they were involved in what the guards thought was a murder. Once Pina explained that the two were only stunned to the guards, the commandos and Wrench would insist on Eila going back to base for a medical examination.

* * *

Returning to the base with them for answers to their actions, Pina had been able to cope with everything that had just transpired even though the shock of it still lingered. Sitting next to Eila's bed in the medical ward, she would listen to Eila's explanation that they had planned for Zorzal to try to usurp power to block the peace talks.

"Doctor, could please give us the room." Eila said to the doctor who had been monitoring her condition. Once alone, she started again, "Princess, we knew Prince Zorzal would try to block the talks in some way so we had the Palace bugged."

"Bugged?"

"I ordered the commandos to place recording devices in various areas of interest. It was to gain intelligence on your brother's intentions for us and needless to say, it did pay off."

Pina felt slightly insulted, "Spying? W—Why did you not inform of this? I know who my brother is. I could have helped you gather that intelligence instead if you asked. The importance of these talks to succeed was paramount to me."

While Eila was surprised that Pina was eager to spy on her brother, she responded, "Well, we didn't inform you because you might refuse. We guessed you would be offended to such an action. Us asking you to let us spy on you? That would be ridiculous wouldn't it? Besides, even if you were willing, knowing that we would be spying on your brother would put you in an awkward position. There's also the chance that if you had chosen to spy on your brother for us, it could have been discovered."

Pina sulked, "Well, I certainly feel that I've been placed in an awkward position anyway."

Eila turned away for a moment but eventually responded, "I'm sorry. But you're brother just really couldn't be in a position of power. It would've been dangerous…for all of us."

Sighing, Pina understood the sentiment. Her brother was just too eager for war without knowing the actual price behind it. But, she grew curious on the intelligence they had gathered, "So…what did you learn from my brother? You implied you had evidence against Tyuule as well."

Taking a moment to shift, she responded, "Not much actually from your brother. All your brother ever did was complain about the talks and the Republic. He was also quite fond of disparaging you, your father, and the Imperial Senate that you were all too soft in dealing with us. He planned and sent infiltrators at us. More than once did he try. But, we caught them instantly because I think your brother and his friends, the Generals he called them, don't really know or care to know much about us, even though his Generals had already fought against us before. They did discuss other plans. Most of them he ranted off earlier during his talk with you in how he was going to deal with us."

Pina clicked her tongue. She saw that even with all the evidence before him of the Republic's might, Zorzal refused to consider more peaceful alternatives. Although, she began to wonder how Tyuule factored into the situation. Asking the question, she would be asked how well she knew Tyuule.

"How well did I know her? I don't really know much about her except that she's my brother's personal slave after the war against the warrior bunnies and that she was their Queen who my brother said betrayed her people." Pina answered.

"I see. Well, it was she who poisoned your father."

She was surprised, "W—What?! Can you show me the proof of that?"

Pulling out a holoprojector, "The commandos got curious why Zorzal went down to the dungeons at times so they put a recording device there. But it was ultimately just him 'relieving' himself with Tyuule. What is interesting is when Tyuule was alone. " Eila played the recording on the holoprojector.

Showing a corridor of the dungeon, Pina could distinctly hear Tyuule speaking to someone,

'_Do you have it ready, Bouro?_'

'_Yes. I was able to get it on short notice. Drinking enough of this should kill the Emperor outright. Then that fool of a Prince can succeed him. But how will you get the Emperor to drink it?_'

'_That peace talk banquet with the Republic is coming. I know those Imperial fools can't resist drinking themselves stupid to those idiotic toasts. I already know they'll be congratulating themselves on dealing with the bandits when the bandits used to be Imperials anyway._'

'_Heheheh! Then when that oaf takes the throne, he won't be able to resist declaring war against the Republic. He'll likely arrest the attending ambassadors on the spot when it happens._'

'_Yes. Then the Empire will fall for its hubris when the Republic comes in force and my revenge will be complete._'

Shutting off the holoprojector, Eila continued, "There are other recordings. Some are concerning me and how to deal with my abilities. Others are how to spur more and more of your citizens into war. She intended to bring the Empire together through Zorzal and then use us to destroy it in retaliation when Zorzal decided to openly oppose us."

Pina remained wide eyed. This incident was another example that the Empire was truly unloved or merely tolerated. The maid and the people of Italica, Lord Duran and the Army of Unified Kingdoms, Tyuule and likely every slave the Empire ever took were all people who resented them in one way or the other, even in spite of what she thought was friendship. Her education in her younger years that the Empire's purpose was spreading civilization across the untamed continent was shaping up to have just been a waste of time. They just made enemies biding their time rather than friends. She was considering that this was the Empire's punishment from the gods. The gods invited a superior force that goads everyone who hates the Empire to cheer its downfall.

'_Too big for their own good._' Eila thought as she quietly read Pina's thoughts and remembered her conversation with Giselle.

Eventually, Pina would ask other questions on why Eila and the clones took the actions they did. Eila would emphasize that she allowed herself to be used as a punching bag to expose Zorzal further knowing that he wouldn't be able to resist bragging about his plans to destroy the Republic to her. It also helped that everyone conspiring against the Republic and inadvertently the Empire, were all in the same room ready to be taken down. Soon, Pina fretted over how to announce dethroning Zorzal. She felt unfortunate to have been thrust into being the leader of the Empire since her father was still unwell. She entertained the idea that Zorzal handed over power willingly and turned himself in for the wrongful arrests but Eila warned against it.

"His supporters are still out there. They'll never believe that." She advised.

"Then what should I do? I can't exactly tell the truth." Pina said.

She thought on it but answered, "Why not?"

"What?"

"Why not tell your people? Your history is filled with Emperors who usually usurped power from the previous one. Zorzal's coup is just another footnote in an already long list. Besides, it can be legitimately reasoned that your brother was instead imprisoned because he went against your father's wishes."

"But my father—"

"May be in a coma but he is still alive which means he's still technically Emperor." She paused, "The pro-peace Senators agree that for your brother to immediately flip your father's decision as soon as he fell ill was both unwise, politically destabilizing, and awfully convenient to his goals. If Zorzal had been allowed to continue, he would have led your Empire to civil war given the differences of opinion between your Senators."

"Then what of his supporters? They'll never accept me as their ruler."

"They're going to have to. At least until your father gets back on his feet. They'll also find it hard to find support from neutral parties to try another coup given all the information we've gathered. Plus, Tyuule deliberately poisoned your father to put Zorzal in a position to assume power and continue the war. I'm sure plenty of people in the Empire will really not like that detail. It'll make them think they were duped."

"His supporters could argue that my brother knew nothing of Tyuule's actions."

"Then that would show his incompetence that he didn't even know what his aide was doing for him." She saw that Pina was still worried about another coup, "Look, with the evidence we've gathered, you can probably counter his supporters attempts to discredit you. But even if you can't, remember that you're the leader now until your father is better. You can flex your power all you like since you dealing with Zorzal's supporters is an internal issue. It's not like before. We only got involved because your brother threatened the peace we were trying to create and his blatant intention to attack us. The direction the Empire is headed to now, is up to you."

Pina nodded but then questioned, "What about your involvement? If I'm going to tell my people the truth, I'll have to tell them that you're a part of all this."

She thought on it, wondered about potential repercussions, and answered, "You could leave us out. You could say that you led the coup with our assistance." Pina shifted uncomfortably at the suggestion. She continued, "But if you insist on the full story, I don't have an answer for you if you do that. There's going to be consequences for either path you take. I can only say that you must have confidence in yourself if you want to pass through all of this."

Pina remained sullen but nodded. She would ask next if there was any way to deal with her father's affliction. Eila would tell her that the base doctor is willing to join her upon her return to the Imperial Capital to assess a treatment for her father. Pina felt relieved at the news. She didn't quite feel ready to be Emperor just yet for an extended period.

"Oh!" Pina called out as she remembered. "What of your recording devices? While the information you've gathered will be useful, I must as—"

"We'll remove them." Eila interrupted, "You can be there with the commandos when they do to make sure. Those devices have fulfilled their role."

Pina intently observed her expression. It was sincere. She was both relieved and perplexed that Eila would easily get rid of an advantage like that. But then again, the Republic already has plenty of advantages over them. She took this as a small blessing. Seeing that she no longer had more questions, she would take her leave and follow a trooper to escort her to a LAAT that would bring her back to the Imperial Capital.

Once she was gone, Wrench would check on Eila. Entering her room, Wrench could see that she was still awake, staring out the window as the Princess' LAAT left, and twirling the crystal she had been given on her fingertips.

"General," He said as he sat next to her bed. Removing his helmet, he asked, "How do you feel?"

"A little strange but the doctor said the feeling will pass." She pocketed the crystal, "He told me I should be fit to return to duty tomorrow."

"That's good." After a pause, "But, how did you feel at the time, General? The doctor did a good job coming up with a defense, but the crystal. That's the thing I'm sure influenced General Solon the most. We never talked about how you were going to resist that. It seems the crystals around here aren't so friendly."

"I called the Jedi Temple on how to handle that part privately. The healers advised me on what to do after they examined Vania."

"Would it be too much if I ask what that is, General?"

"Yes." She said straight-faced. The healers had advised her to focus on one thing that she had absolute trust in when given the potion and crystal in tandem. They explained that focusing on that one thing would overcome any illusions or suggestions the crystal helped amplify. She didn't want to admit what she focused on.

Not pressing further, he continued again, "How should we proceed now?"

Thinking for a moment, she answered, "We continue like before. We settle refugees. We help in restoring the lands scorched by the Empire. And we continue to explore what this world has to offer."

Wrench accepted the statement but felt uneasy with another issue. "If I may, General," He waited for Eila's nod, "Shouldn't we keep the recording devices around? I know we planned to remove them after this operation because we would have had to reveal them to the Princess for her to understand where we got our intel, but I'm sure the Prince's supporters are still there. We should have kept them secret. We'll need to know what their up to."

She thought on his words. Her decision to remove them was a split decision especially between Republic Command and the Jedi Order. She certainly understood that the Prince's capture would force his supporters to conceal themselves. They'd mistakenly reveal themselves not knowing that there's a recording device documenting their moves if they were kept secret. But she agreed with the Order's assessment that if they were going to keep any sort of trust with the Empire, especially after this, they were going to have to remove them. She understood that Pina would keep trusting them, but other Imperials were unlikely to analyze their actions positively.

"The order to remove them stands. Besides, it's a weight off our shoulders now that Zorzal's gone."

"But not out." Wrench said with an underlying tone of regret.

She didn't need to read his thoughts on what he felt he should have done when he had his blaster pointed at Zorzal. She certainly felt it too.

"I know." She soberly responded. "But we didn't want to make a martyr out of him."

"But, even in prison, he can still—"

"I know. Either way we could have handled this, there's going to be a consequence."

* * *

_Author's Note_: Finally done with this one. I've decided to keep Zorzal alive…for now.

To address a previous grievance, I wrote that Vania has spent almost all of the war on a ship. She's not a frontline Jedi. Also, she wasn't hit by just one horse, she was hit with a stampede. Besides, getting hit by even just one large charging animal is no joke.

Moving on, this is unfortunately the last chapter in a long while. Had a look over my courses for this coming year and there's just too much reading and writing I have to do that's going to consume all of my time. Sorry!


	16. Consequence

Palpatine was intrigued. His tap into the Jedi Temple's internal communications provided him with an interesting report. He had previously just used the tap to know of any plans the Jedi would come up with for the Clone Wars and the locations of Jedi across the galaxy. The tap and his foresight of the future helped him tweak his plan in manifesting his Empire into reality accordingly. The report would be the same Eila received to plan for her resistance to Tyuule's contingency.

As he looked through it, the report read out that the Special Region likely had a modest supply of kyber crystals. This wasn't particularly important or impressive as planets like Ilum contained much bigger stores with larger crystals being present in the depths of the planet, ready for his purposes once the Jedi were out of the way. But what drew his attention was that the crystals were neutral. Normally, kyber crystals always have a stronger connection to the Light Side of the Force and they usually 'run away' from the Dark Side. This semi-sentience the crystals had was always troublesome for Dark Side users and Sith Lords. It always required them to force the crystal into submission and 'bleed' it to be used by them. 'Bleeding' a crystal always led to a crimson hue when used in a lightsaber which has become synonymous with Sith Lords.

The Special Region's crystals being neutral meant such a tedious process would be skipped. It would quicken the construction of his superweapon by perhaps, years, even with all the expected administrative headaches to come such as late shipments of material or setbacks in research. It would be the simple act of installing the crystal and then building the spacestation around it instead of how it was looking so far of suppressing the crystal to be installed later while construction of the spacestation happens concurrently. Although, this was only really helpful if a large one could be found but given that any planets with them, even ones with very few crystals to begin with, there will always be a big one.

With this information, Palpatine began to wonder what preparations he had to make in the Special Region to immediately acquire the crystals once the Jedi were disposed of. He could feel through the Force that his plan was nearing its completion. His new apprentice was nearing a tipping point and the love he harbored for his wife will be an extremely useful pressure point to bring him into the Dark Side. But then he felt a tremor in the Force. He widely grinned as he felt the Jedi would make the preparations for him.

* * *

"We're claiming them all, Master Windu?" Eila questioned in the command center of the base.

"Only the ones the Empire don't have a clear stake in. It's time we finally addressed these crystals." Windu responded through the holoprojector.

"Alright. But what are we to do then with the crystal caves the Empire are aware of, Master? Even though, they don't really know how important they are to us."

"We can negotiate for those ones. Claim they can use them as part of their settlement with the Republic."

She looked over the list of caves transmitted to her, "B—But Master Windu! Some of these are considered holy sites for the Empire. One listed here is the Temple of Hardy. The Empire is unlikely to allow us to lay claim to them, even with Princess Pina in charge at the moment."

"You must find a way. We must secure these sites. I'm sure you can understand what could happen if that Dark Lord of the Sith that has eluded us learns of this."

Eila bowed her head. She knew what it would mean. Kyber crystals that didn't care about what they would be used for would be very appealing to whatever machinations the Dark Lord of the Sith had planned. Besides, there were many instances in the Jedi Order's history where they just took places with kyber crystals to the point it almost broke out into war with the native inhabitants, understandably upset that some foreign force just seized their land. Some would even say the Order was being greedy in monopolizing the crystals and suppressing knowledge of them. Luckily, such seizures were common during the wars of the Old Republic when both Jedi and Sith scrambled for them to use in the wars. Particularly, the Sith who loved using larger ones in any superweapons they designed. The Order wasn't in the habit of forceful seizure anymore. At least, she hoped that it wouldn't evolve back into a habit.

Sighing softly, she responded, "I understand, Master. But doing this means…"

"All of it is already on its way." He interrupted.

She paused at the statement and then one of the clone officer's called out, "Incoming supplies, General."

Walking to the window of the command center that overlooked the large empty courtyard where the Gate was, she would see considerable quantities of supplies and men starting to pour through the Gate. Food and medical supplies, fresh troopers, military hardware, power generators and other equipment began filling up the courtyard as the transports ferried them in.

"The Senate and the Chancellor have agreed with our decision." Windu started again. "We're staying here indefinitely."

* * *

RT3 had been enjoying their travels so far. Rondel had been quite nice, even with Lelei's sister starting a fight out of jealousy for Lelei's advanced knowledge and that random mage with the thick accent calling out, '_Fine chariots! But where are the horses?!_' and swamping the clones with questions. Despite those things, Lelei gave her presentation and it left an impression on the audience. Explaining the refined mechanics of detonation magic intrigued them. Although, Lelei left some details out to make her explosive demonstration and explanation of the technique not so powerful fearing a resurgence in combat magic that had faded much from history.

Eons ago, only exceptionally powerful magicians utilized combat magic since it had insane magical requirements to use. Some of those magicians took advantage of this and destroyed whole nations overnight when they wouldn't submit to their rule. Because of the balance of power in the world tipping dangerously to their side, the Apostles wiped out all the powerful magicians they could find regardless if they were power-hungry and limited the knowledge of combat magic. Lelei would be apprehensive around Rory because of it since her full technique lowered the requirement substantially. Although Rory felt that as long as she limited her explanation to leave a high requirement to use explosive magic and a warning that it should be used for something other than combat, then it should be fine. The Masters attending Lelei's lecture would end up sharing her concerns and take her warning seriously as Rory would be sitting in the front row, glaring at everyone in attendance to heed the warning. It would ultimately put her status into a Master on hold. Despite the hold, Lelei wasn't too disappointed by the news. It was just the fact that her presentation got the Masters seriously considering the title for her was enough to keep her hopeful.

Seeing no reason to stay while the Masters consulted among themselves on what to do with Lelei's title and avoid Lelei's increasingly jealous sister because of the consideration of the title, RT3 would leave Rondel behind. They would move on to Crety and help its inhabitants with its epidemic that they learned from rumors. Lelei almost died to the sickness but with the information given by the inhabitants on a possible treatment locked in a dangerous labyrinth, they were able to stop further tragedies and leave instructions to the people to mass produce the treatment. Ready to leave Crety, Fick and Noah talked to each other of recent events while they waited for Fordo to pick their next destination.

"This planet is insane! Zombies again?! Like that incident with the parasites from Geonosis?!" Noah vented.

"Oh yeah, but just like Geonosis, it's not like the planets back home are any better. Heck, it isn't even as crazy as the Prince getting dethroned by the General mere hours after declaring himself Emperor. Although…" Fick paused for a bit, "Very few have people like Ms. Mercury."

They both looked at Rory. She was happily enjoying Yao's company as Yao popped snacks into her mouth and offered an occasional sip of water.

Fick continued, "Not many people stand in front of that monster, a Minotaur I think the locals called it, while we fire rockets at it and then basically bathe in the ensuing shower. She looked like she swam around in thick red paint. Ramius sounded really upset when he had to help her wipe it all off."

Noah sighed, "Yeah. She really gives off those weird vibes, you know? But at least she's with us."

Before Fick could speak again, Fordo called out, "Mount up. We're headed to Bellnahgo. Hometown of the Temple of Hardy."

Rory visibly shook at the announcement, "What?!" She shouted and spitting out some of the half-eaten snacks given to her. "W—Why do you want to go there?!"

"Yes! Why should we?!" Yao protested with Rory. Her renouncement from Hardy still fresh in her mind. "It's just as goddess Rory told me. Hardy has never cared for anyone so why should we care about her?!"

Everyone blankly stared at Yao. Even though it was already several weeks since she officially declared her intention to turn away from Hardy and changed her name over it, it was still weird to everyone to hear 'goddess' added to Rory's name.

Fordo explained, "We're going because we've never been there. It's also a cultural study. Those guys from the University of Coruscant want notes. They're currently in the Kingdom of Mudwan and have really just been asking the other teams to help fill in their research."

Although, Fordo also wanted to go as he had been informed by Eila of Hardy's role in the fire dragon incidents. She wanted to see if he could try to get any information on Hardy's motives if he ever had the chance to go to Bellnahgo. Rory would pout while Yao grimaced. But seeing that they couldn't really refuse, they relented.

Half a day of riding eventually led to their destination. As they entered Bellnahgo, the inhabitants and tourists on pilgrimage gave the expected stares at them. At least they weren't stopping them for questions on what a speeder is. Finding a place to keep the speeders and tank away from prying eyes, Fordo would leave Alloy, Noah, Cabby, and Zipper to guard them while the rest of the group made their way to the Temple.

Rory would initially try to muscle her way into the Temple, simply just so they could leave sooner but the dark elf steward refused entry. Since they didn't have any decrees that would get them in quickly and Rory's status wasn't being held as an exception, they had to wait patiently in the back of the line as other people made their visits first.

As the sun descended and the visitors thinned out with the people behind them giving up because of the wait, they finally made it to the front of the Temple.

"Thank you for waiting, Lady Rory. You and your companions may now enter. We suspect why you would be here. Please follow me." The dark elf steward said. Rory quickly brushed past her and entered.

Following suit, Yao, Tuka, Lelei, and the clones followed Rory and the steward to the back of the Temple, passing by the other worshipers fervently offering their prayers. Upon reaching the stairwell leading to the lower depths, Rory froze.

Fordo would notice and tap her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Steeling herself, she replied, "Y—Yes. Just taking a moment."

While she took it, the steward demanded to the clones, Yao, and Lelei, "Before entering the personal chamber of our goddess, we request that you relinquish any weapons."

Fordo's eyes narrowed at the demand. He didn't want to give up their weapons, especially to people that they had just met. But the steward looked at him and the others intently, unwilling to accept any compromises. Wanting to also get the visit over with since they waited for so long in line, he motioned to the other clones to give up their blasters. A group of priests would take them along with Yao's sword and dagger and Lelei's staff. Tuka was unarmed.

Before the priests would leave, Fordo said to the steward, "We better get_ all_ of those back." The steward would bow her head in acknowledgement.

Before going down the stairwell, Hoot would question the steward, "How come you're not taking Ms. Mercury's weapon?"

"Ms. Mercury? Oh, you mean Lady Rory? We cannot accept or separate a divine weapon from an Apostle. We don't have the right." She answered.

Hoot gave a small snicker since they had no problem separating Giselle's scythe from her.

Descending into Hardy's elaborate chamber, the clones took in the sights. The floor was decorated in a mosaic of precious metals. Gigantic white pillars stood by the sides of what was really a cave and the cave walls had crystals of varying sizes adorning them giving the room a natural glow. There was even a large one, hanging from the ceiling and providing most of the light. Reaching a large door, the group would be greeted by a high priest and a group of stewards.

Acknowledging them, the priest shouted out, "Pilgrims! Bow your heads in reverence, for the goddess Hardy descends upon us."

The massive doors would begin to slowly open and everyone but the clones quickly took a knee. Seeing this action, Fordo ordered the others to mirror them. As the doors continued to open, a bright light began filling the room. Even adjusting the settings in his helmet to compensate, Fordo couldn't look at it directly. But it wouldn't be long before the light started to die down and Fordo would see a humanoid figure begin to take shape from a million points of light. The figure finally materialized into a beautiful woman with long silver hair, red eyes, and a white dress that looked like a wedding dress that showed off her proportions. Fordo would estimate that she looked like a woman in her mid-20s. He would also wonder if he was merely staring at a hologram.

Hardy lightly descended to the floor and stared at her audience. Upon seeing Rory, her initial blank expression changed to pure joy. She quickly approached Rory and made all sorts of gestures. Fordo would be confused as it looked like Hardy was saying something but there was no sound coming out of her mouth.

"You're not going deaf. She says that she really is speaking, it's just that you're not an Apostle so you can't perceive it." Rory suddenly responded.

"How did—" He wondered but it quickly dawned on him, "Ahh. She's reading my mind." Hardy would look at him and give a cheerful nod. She would go back to 'speaking' with Rory.

"**No.**" Rory answered her. "I've told you a million times, **no**. _**I will not marry you**_."

Hardy would make more insistent gestures but Rory simply went silent to her request. Pouting sadly, Hardy began looking at the stewards. She would begin walking around and was seemingly evaluating them.

"What's she doing?" Fordo asked.

"She looking for a vessel to possess." Rory said.

"A vessel to possess? Why?"

"It will allow her to speak with us normally. And the stewards are looking forward to it because it's considered a great honor to be possessed. Even if it might kill them. It can also sometimes lead to the person gaining abilities beyond what they already have. But that is exceedingly rare."

Fordo would be a little more concerned with the, 'it might kill them' part, but Hardy continued to look around. It wouldn't be long before she had exhausted the stewards in attendance having shook her head in disapproval to all of them. However, once she caught a glimpse of Lelei, she gained a sly grin.

Rory would take notice and she quickly shouted, "Stop! Don't go for her!"

She would attempt to shield Lelei but Hardy already made her move. Lelei would be caught unawares as she would suddenly see Hardy in front of her and cup her face. In an instant, Hardy moved into her and her body twitched at the alien entity invading her body. Falling unconscious, Tuka and Yao quickly tried to wake her. Fordo was mortified as he thought that Hardy's possession had just killed Lelei. Ramius sprang into action and quickly made his way to her side. But before he could examine her, Lelei suddenly shot up with eyes wide open. It would be noticeable that Lelei's hair had suddenly grown long with her usual short light blue hair having been replaced with silver. Her eyes had likewise changed from blue to red. 'Lelei' would begin to stretch herself and taking in deep breaths.

Exhaling loudly, she turned to her surprised guests and declared, "I am Hardy."

Rory was livid. Taking her halberd, she instantly held the blade close to Hardy's neck. "_Get out of her body, __**NOW**_!" She demanded.

Hardy merely smiled, "Oh! You're so cute when you're angry." It still sounded like Lelei.

Suddenly, Rory's halberd flew into the wall. Everyone would be surprised at how effortless it was. Hardy had flicked it away with her hand. Acting quickly, Hardy moved in and kissed Rory who was still shocked at what happened to her halberd. Rory quickly pushed Hardy away with all her might. Despite getting thrown up in the air by her strength, Hardy landed gracefully.

"Ohh, I haven't felt that sensation in centuries. That felt really good." She said while savored the moment by licking her lips.

Panting heavily, Rory threatened, "_**Don't ever do that again**_!"

Hardy threw her hands up with a devious smile, "Alright, alright. I just wanted to feel it with you."

Rory stomped away to grab her halberd. While she tried to wedge her halberd out of the wall, Fordo would reiterate Rory's earlier demand, "Please leave Ms. Lalena's body." He sternly stated.

"Oh, yes! The clone soldiers. You've been quite entertaining."

"Entertaining?"

"Oh, yes! You've given the Empire a good rattle. But enough of this, follow me."

Hardy began walking towards the stairwell with the stewards immediately following her. Fordo was wishing they created a bigger fuss on hanging on to their blasters. Stunning her and then finding a way to extract her out of Lelei's body would have been the next move. But seeing that Lelei wasn't at least bleeding out of her eyes from the strain of having a second consciousness in her, Fordo, and the others, who were still dumbstruck at everything that just happened, followed her. To their surprise again, Hardy was merely interested in having a meal as she led them to a lavish dining room at the top floor of the Temple. She would explain to them as she gorged on a roast that the sensation of eating and drinking was another one she hadn't felt in a long time and was taking great pleasure in consuming quite a number of meals quickly.

"Come. Eat something. I'm starting to feel embarrassed." Hardy cooed.

Yao and the clones uncomfortably took a fork and began eating hesitantly. Rory refused to take a bite of her meal as she maintained an angry scowl and stared at Hardy's gluttonous behavior.

Hardy took notice, "Hmm? Something wrong, love?"

"That's not your body." Rory hissed.

"Oh, don't worry about your friend. I'll move the fat somewhere more beneficial to her…looks."

"You're disgusting."

"Oh no! I'm just showing my appreciation of the earthly delights." She began to rub herself a little.

"Stop that! It's unbecoming of a goddess!" Rory yelled as she brandished her halberd.

"Oh? Thinking of raising your weapon against a god? Who's unbecoming now? You're an Apostle. Remember your place." She said with a smile.

Rory angrily turned away. Taking a moment, she spoke up again. "Even though I didn't plan to come to this…godforsaken place, I just wanted to repeat for one final time, _I will not marry you_, Hardy."

Hardy pouted, "Pooh! How unfortunate." Despite, Rory's declaration, Hardy still felt that she just needed to continue to be persistent. Turning to Tuka and Yao, "What about you two? Why are you here? Come to pray for some divine inspiration?"

Tuka answered first, "No, but this is the first time I've ever met a god. But frankly, because of how you've treated Lelei, you're a pretty poor first impression. And well…there's also the fire dragon." She trailed off.

Hardy cocked a brow, "How decisive. What about you, dark elf? You dark elves love me but you haven't said so much as a prayer to me."

"Can't you read my head?" Yao jeered.

"Not inside this body. And so hostile. What did I do to lose your faith?" She said in a patronizing tone.

"Fuck off."

"Oh my! Such colorful language! Did you learn that from the clones?"

Yao refused to speak further so Fordo would interject, "Ms. Dushi has had…a change in faith. Please don't pursue it further."

He began to see why they took their weapons earlier. Some people are likely to try to attack Hardy if they had them because of her personality. But given what happened with Rory and her halberd, he guessed that it wouldn't have really mattered against her.

"Fine." She answered. "But, judging from your tone, I'll just say that for whatever you think I did, I don't regret it one bit."

Yao immediately shot up from her seat with clear rage written on her face. Tuka would also have a scowl on her face directed at Hardy.

"You bastard!" Yao shouted.

"Oh, you're friend had a legitimate birth. But her mother sure was a poor judge of character to remarry to such a tyrant of a father." She was probing Lelei's memories.

"You! You, who ordered your Apostle to wake a fire dragon and _murder my people_ has no right to be so callous to those who worship you!"

Hardy shrugged her shoulders, "I'm a god, dear. I could care less with what my worshipers say or do for me. I don't even really care if they hate me. It's only natural that if you die, you die. It's the unspoken rule of this world that it's survival of the fittest. When it comes down to it, people will always step over each other to keep themselves on top. But sure, I allowed the fire dragon to eat people but I didn't exactly specify that it eat you. It just happened to go for your people to feed itself. That was for its survival and I'm fine with that."

With no weapon, Yao felt like punching Hardy in the face even if it was Lelei's body, but Fordo would stop her.

"Then what was your goal for the fire dragon?" He asked. "Why awaken such a dangerous animal?"

Hardy smiled, "Because it's amusing."

"Excuse me?" Fordo said. Everyone grew tense because of Hardy's answer.

"It was fun to watch it wreck havoc. I actually wanted it to go after you and your people. But your weapons gave it such a fright that it was content on going after weaker people. It was still fun to watch those people scrambling for their lives as it ate them."

Fordo tightened his fist. He was starting to feel like Yao too and from the corner of his eye he could see that she and Tuka looked ready to attack over Hardy's previous comment. He tried to continue calmly, "You wanted the fire dragon to come after us?"

"Yep." She said with enthusiasm. She got up, walked to the terrace of the room and looked out to the city illuminated by its torches in the early night, "You're strong. A little too strong. I just wanted you to bring the Empire down a little. Make them learn some humility. But now, you're getting stuck in."

"Getting stuck in? Is that a problem?"

"Yes. For two reasons. One, you're upsetting the balance of this world and two, keeping the Gate open for this long is going to cause problems."

"Well, we don't care about your balance. As for the Gate, we didn't ask for it to be opened into our world."

"And that's one of the reasons I woke up the fire dragon. Now that you've confirmed my suspicion, I awakened one of the most powerful beasts that exist on this world to temper your influence. To shift the balance back. Unfortunately, the beast hardly slowed you down. You even took my Apostle prisoner and I'm sure even my dear Rory is more likely to side with you than me if I asked her to continue Giselle's work. Troublesome. Most troublesome."

Secretly, Hardy didn't want to admit that she screwed up. She opened the Gate since she found that the Empire being taken down a notch would break her boredom but her intended joke was quickly turning sour. She hadn't anticipated such a powerful force to cross over. She couldn't even take a peek of the other side to have some idea about what she was dealing with since something incredibly strong was keeping her out. She could feel two powerful forces of light and dark were keeping her out. But she could feel that for some reason, the darkness was getting stronger. It worried her a little even if it was the balance of a different place. Her actions had likewise garnered the unwelcome attention of her fellow gods who were pressuring her to do something.

Turning back to them, she could see that all of her guests carried harsher frowns than before outside of the stewards who quietly stood by the walls. Ignoring it, she continued, "I bet you're thinking, 'Well, what are you going to do about it now that your pet's dead?' Well, I'd actually like to convince you to leave willingly."

Everyone remained silent.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I should have expected this. Since you clones are soldiers, I'm sure you couldn't even leave if you wanted to. You have an authority to answer to. And you elves I'm sure don't even want them to leave given every luxury you have access to. So, to get the attention of your authority, I'm keeping this body."

That got Fordo and the others up. Rory shouted, "You're not keeping that body! Lelei is mine! She's my—" She stopped. She didn't want to admit that Lelei was a friend despite that Apostles are supposed to be detached from people. It allowed them to do their dispassionate duty as the gardeners of the world efficiently.

Fordo would reiterate for her, "You're not keeping her. I don't care that you're a god. You don't own people."

"Then call your superiors, clone. I'll convince them. But be quick. Vessels, even exceptional ones, can only hold us for a day. Maybe two. Any longer and well, the brain tends to liquefy from the stress."

* * *

Eila looked over the lists of all the supplies she had received with her head buried in the datapad and standing in the courtyard. It boggled her mind. She was always under the impression that Republic Command and the Senate would only send them supplies when they needed them. Now the base was overstocked with the new generators piquing her interest.

'_Rated to last for a hundred years? That's a bold claim. Solar, geothermal, tibanna, hypermatter? Seems to run on anything._' She thought as she thumbed through the generators specifications. Moving the datapad down, she watched the generators being placed into a brand new prefabricated facility. The installers seemed set on connecting them to the geothermal energy of the planet.

'_Long-term assignment, huh?_' She shook her head.

It was her initial belief that once Zorzal was gone, the Republic would be looking forward to receding its influence to cut costs. But a quick look at the news back home and it seemed that recent victories in the Outer Rim are the likely cause for the sudden upswing in material support. However, there were still the typical doom and gloom stories on the uncertainty of victory on other contested planets like Mygeeto, Felucia, and Kashyyyk.

Additionally, Senator Chuchi was already well on her way to completing her negotiations with Emperor Molt, who was feeling better but not completely healed, and Princess Pina. It was looking to be that the Empire was agreeing to every demand and concession. Although, she had yet to talk to Chuchi about the Jedi Order's demand and Zorzal's remnant faction had gone noticeably silent. Whether it was because of the absence of their leader or the release of all the information against him, was uncertain.

Thinking back to the Order's demand, she shivered at how that conversation was going to go with Chuchi and the Imperials. Simply taking the unclaimed places might slip under the Empire's view. They might not even care since the crystals were viewed as useless to them but, all the anxiety was coming from how to explain their interest to claim the Empire's holy sites. Even with worthless crystals, the Imperials are unlikely to agree in letting them stroll right in. Luckily or unluckily, she could hold off on explaining herself.

"General! General!" Wrench yelled as he came running. Stopping next to her, he blurted out, "Emergency transmission from Recon Team Three!"

Alarmed, she took out her holoprojector, "Captain Fordo? What's the situation? Do you need support?"

"We're in Bellnahgo at the Temple of Hardy and well…Lelei's not herself."

"Not herself? Please explain, Captain."

Suddenly, the holoprojector image scrambled and she could distinctly hear Fordo calling out to someone to give it back. The image stabilized and it was Lelei.

"Ohh! General Eila of the Grand Army of the Republic!" 'Lelei' said with a playful grin as more memories were probed.

Getting a powerful impression from the Force, Eila cringed a bit before saying, "You're not Lelei."

"Oh! What gave me away?" 'Lelei' pouted.

"Lelei's not as expressive as you, Hardy."

"Huh? What a dull girl."

"Please don't insult her like that."

"Fine. But, how did you know it was me, specifically?"

"Maybe because my team is at the Temple of Hardy."

"Oh! Well…" She turned away with a slight hint of embarrassment.

"What do you want, Hardy?"

"To talk."

"Then talk."

"Oh no! You have to come to my house. I prefer _personal_ interactions than whatever this thing is." The image distorted again as she shook the holoprojector.

"My team can bring you here so we can talk."

"No, no, no! Here, Eila." Her voice suddenly became more serious, "_**Come here**_."

Sighing, Eila responded, "Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Turning the holoprojector off, Wrench called out, "Could be a trap, General."

"Could be? More like definitely. But this is one of the Special Region's gods. For a powerful being to descend…whatever she has to say, it's got be important."

"Could also be worthless too."

"There's that. It's been written in the myths that Hardy can be quite mischievous, when she's not being selfish and indifferent to people. But we can't leave Lelei to live out her life as Hardy's plaything."

Wrench shuddered, "Ugh! That's got to be a weird feeling. Somebody else living in your body, overriding what makes you, _you_."

"Well, hopefully, either Hardy gets out herself. Or we have to force her out."

* * *

_Author's Note_: Yay, another chapter! But don't get too excited, it's just been a slow week so there was time for me to write.


	17. Nightmare

Hardy pirouetted around the room as she thumbed around the holoprojector while Tuka, Rory, Yao, and RT3 watched her with discontent. They could only really watch as the stewards stood next to them while they continued to sit at the dining table. More stewards were called in ever since Hardy possessed Lelei and it was quickly understood that the stewards standing by them as close as they were, was intended to keep them in line.

"This is RT13. Hey! Who are yo—"

"Base Logistics. Administrator Jell speaking. Hello? Hel—"

"This is Vice Chancellor Amedda. To wh—"

While Hardy was fascinated by the alien appearances that came up on the holoprojector, Fordo patiently waited. Picking his moment, Fordo waited for Hardy to circle near his position at the table and lunged for the holoprojector. Hardy maintained a soft grip on it so it flew when it was smacked out of her hand. While she was shocked at what he just did, two stewards moved to restrain him. Unfortunately for them, Fordo managed to quickly wrestle out of their grip. They prepared themselves for a fight but Fordo calmly sat back down having calculated his strike correctly. The flying holoprojector dropped right into Rory's outstretched hand.

"I'll hang on to this." She said. Fordo would nod as he knew the stewards were unlikely to take it off her. Not that he really needed it. He already discreetly signaled to Fick to call the others they left behind to rendezvous with the Commander and General when they showed up. He just didn't want Hardy to continue making prank calls.

Hardy attempted to use puppy dog eyes to get Rory to give her the holoprojector but she was rebuffed. Stomped her foot like a spoiled child, she cried out, "Pooh! You guys are no fun! All you do is stare at me with that look." She scoffed at the same vacant or enraged stares continuing to persist.

Even though it hadn't been that long since Fick called for everyone else and Hardy's stipulation of Lelei probably lasting for a day before her brain melts, he didn't want to take any chances on that and anxiously thought, '_When is the General going to get here?_'

His thought would be answered when the dark elf steward entered the room, "Your Holiness. General Deova and Commander Wrench."

"Ahh!" Hardy called out. She immediately pranced towards them and motioned her hand to the table, "Welcome! Welcome! Please, come join us."

Fordo and the others watched them approach and they eventually sat down on a pair of extra seats next to Hardy with her at the head of the table. Fordo observed that they were still armed in catching a glimpse of their weapons tucked away on a belt or holsters. He wondered if Eila pulled a mind trick on the steward. Although, he found it strange none of the other stewards or Hardy took notice since the two weren't exactly hiding them.

Eila immediately started, "Well, I'm here, Hardy. Now what do you want?"

"To the point, I see. Well, I called you here Eila, because I want you and your army to leave this place."

Eila had mixed feelings over the statement but still asked, "Are you serious?"

"Very. You're probably wondering, 'Why would I leave anyway?' And it is true. You've demonstrated your strength to the Empire and now you're trying to establish a cozy, reciprocal, relationship with them now that they've been scared into submission. So, why should you throw away all of that work? I ask because, for one thing, you and your people are upsetting the balance of this world."

"And why should I—"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! I know. Why should you care? Well, after going through this girl's memories, you have the Force."

Eila frowned at the mention.

Hardy continued, "Being a, what was it again? Oh! A Jedi. You and your Order values the balance of the Force. Why would that idea be any different here? I'm trying to maintain balance here too."

"The Empire attacked us first of all. We had to respond. And now that the Empire knows our resolve, we now want to help them develop as a society. Besides, from what I've read and seen, your balance seems to be to slaughter anyone who advances the world by even a little bit."

Hardy smirked and tapped a finger to her head, "Ahh, yes. Lelei remembers. That we live in fear of what lesser beings can do. I will admit such…'progress' can be dangerous. But, that progress can be dangerous to the people of this world when misused and you already know we do our duty to curb reckless power from that misuse."

Eila shook her head, "No, you don't. I've looked over the history of you and your fellow gods, Hardy. There may have been a time when you thought that way, but you do it now because you think that the suffering of people is fun."

Hardy noticeably twitched but continued, "Regardless, you shouldn't help the Empire. Think of the Empire as a rotting part of your body. Do you leave it to spread? Or do you cut it off to keep yourself alive?"

"The Empire isn't dying."

"Well, you should have finished them off. It would have been a mercy. You've seen it. The Empire revels in immorality and conquest. They have a penchant for making more enemies than friends. And when they think they've made friends, the Empire and all of its allies are usually just biding their time to stab each other in the back. That can't be allowed to flourish. In one way or the other, the Empire will be destroyed either by themselves or by someone else if they continue. I was just helping them along that path by opening the Gate to you."

She looked down a bit at Hardy's mention of friends and enemies but continued, "The Empire is changing its ways for the better."

Hardy gave a short laugh, "Ha! Do you truly believe that? There may be reformers like Princess Pina every now and then but she'll only live for so long before she's replaced by a tyrant that snaps everything back."

"That might happen, but there will always be people who will want change."

"Tch. An optimist. But if you won't leave to respect balance, you should still leave to protect both our worlds."

"And why is that?"

"Have you noticed any earth shakes recently?"

Eila grimaced further. Their certainly had been more earthquakes lately. There was the first one back when they first met the Emperor but there were also dozens of minor earthquakes happening across the continent that usually came to her attention because it would be reported by the recon teams out in the field. They were increasing in frequency but she had dismissed them as inconsequential as they weren't quite as severe as the first earthquake they encountered. But if Hardy was taking an interest, then there might be a problem.

Hardy smiled, "Judging from that look on your face, it looks like you have. Now tell me, have you had any earth shakes back home?"

Eila thought on it but answered, "Actually, no. There have been no earthquakes on Coruscant."

Hardy was surprised, "What?! How?!"

Eila thought back and knew Coruscant has gone under such heavy terraforming over the past 20,000 years that earthquakes had virtually become non-existent and there were all sorts of technologies in the deep underground of the planet stopping them from coming up again.

Although, despite the technologies and terraforming, there were supposed to be earthquakes on Coruscant coinciding with the earthquakes in the Special Region. But unbeknownst to her and anyone else, there actually was an additional layer of protection in the Force inhibiting the effects.

But ignoring Hardy's surprise, she continued, "What's so important about earthquakes on Coruscant?"

"Hmm. How bizarre. But, it is important because the earth shakes are a symptom of our worlds being connected."

"A symptom?"

"Yes. Our worlds aren't meant to be connected. It messes with the natural order of the universe. Normally, our two worlds are separated from each other and how a civilization on both progresses is dictated by evolution and survival of the fittest. But now that they're connected, there's all sorts of interference going on that the universe won't tolerate for long. For now, it's limited to minor earth shakes, but as time goes on, the earth shakes will grow stronger to the point that it will eventually force the worlds apart but not before they cause considerable damage. Even if…Coruscant was it…is unaffected for now, it may soon will be. That's why I want you to leave, to bring back that balance."

Eila's eyes narrowed and she scowled, "And you knew this for a fact? But _you_ still opened a Gate anyway knowing this?!"

Hardy attempted to explain herself but Rory interrupted by slamming her hands on the table. "Damn it, Hardy!" She shouted. "You preach to us Apostles to maintain the natural order but it seems to me all of you gods screw with it anyway at your pleasure!"

Hardy decided to admit it. As much as she and the other gods cared for balance, they also cared about their fun. Potential reality breaking paradoxes be damned.

"Oh, dear Rory, of course we do. We gods always have a different reason for messing with balance. But that's why the Apostles exist, to put everything back once that change has reached the end of its usefulness."

"Well, this time, you've gone too far!"

Rory decided to admit to something that had been lingering in her head for a while, "The Republic is an entity beyond even our abilities to deal with." She turned with some hesitation to the clones and Eila, "Y—You scare me." She thought back to the fire dragon, Giselle, and the Empire's armies which were all swept away without too much effort. She even thought back to the time that Battle Droid shot her. The weapons were similar and can likewise inflict the same pain. It even terrified her that their weapons could be capable of killing her if they seriously committed themselves.

Everyone but Hardy would be shocked at her admission. Eila would try to comfort her, "R—Rory, we don't mean to—"

"I know. You've never intended to scare me." Her face quickly hardened, "But I have a duty to this world and Hardy is right. I've never voiced this before because you're such nice people but your presence is changing the balance of this world. Even though I like the changes you're making, I still..." She stopped and then gave a cold stare at Hardy in remembering the comment made about continuing Giselle's work, "You want _me_ to clean up this 'mess'. Isn't that it, Hardy?"

Hardy gave a sharp breath and got up to circle the table, "Oh, don't worry about that, Rory. If you're so opposed to it, I won't force you. You are, after all, Emroy's Apostle. Not mine. So..." After one rotation, she stopped behind Eila.

Rory noticed, "Wait. What the hell are you doing?"

"Cleaning up the mess."

Suddenly, Hardy's essence left Lelei for Eila. Just like before, Eila would convulse to the alien presence.

"General!" Wrench called out as he quickly tried to stop her from hurting herself as she twitched. Everyone got up due to what just happened but their attention would then be drawn to Lelei. The stewards stood by defensively but allowed them to move.

"Gaaahhh!" Lelei screamed. Falling to the ground, Tuka, Yao, and Ramius quickly went to her aid. While Tuka and Yao supported her, Ramius would end up examining her hand as it suddenly grew black and blue and her fingers went crooked.

"Sh—She never healed it." Lelei gasped. Upon overhearing it, Fordo quickly concluded that the damage and pain only came now as Hardy kept it at bay ever since she flicked Rory's halberd. Fordo wondered whether Hardy couldn't actually heal it or it was just out of maliciousness. Rory knew better that Hardy was doing it out of maliciousness. Ramius quickly went to work to treat her hand and prevent more damage.

"General! General!" Wrench continued to shout but he would soon feel despair when Eila suddenly went limp with her face lying on the table.

"General! General!" He shook her a few times.

"Oh—Oh, no."

While Wrench was distressed at what just happened, everyone else stood silently and wondered why. Unlike with Lelei, it seemed to be taking longer for Eila to just suddenly wake and become Hardy. The changes weren't happening as seamlessly as before.

* * *

Eila opened her eyes and took some heavy gasps. She felt like there was something pressing on her chest that was stopping her from breathing. But looking down, it was just a blanket. Pulling the blanket off, she sat by the side of the bed and tried to catch her breath. Once her breathing normalized, she looked around. It was her room. But not the one from the base on Alnus but back at the Jedi Temple. She wondered if she was transferred back home because of what Hardy did as she saw Lelei's possessed body come up behind her and then felt Hardy's presence before blacking out. She wondered if the Jedi healers pulled Hardy out of her or if Hardy left on her own.

Stumbling up, she grabbed her robes and reached for the light switch. With the lights on, she moved to the blinds. Opening them, it showed the serene view of the Coruscant skyline at night that she knows, but something was off. There was no speeder traffic. No traffic anywhere. Even squinting to see off further in the distance, there was still none. There was nothing flying in the air. Wondering where they had all gone, she had a quick look around for her lightsaber, which was also missing. Feeling some frustration at not finding it, she moved to the door. Opening it up to the hallway, there was no one in sight. Another oddity as there should at least be someone walking around. Even if it was late at night, there should be Jedi Temple Guards patrolling. Going back into her room, she tapped the communications pad on her desk.

"Hello? This is Eila Deova. Is anyone receiving?"

Silence.

"This is Eila Deova. Please respond."

Silence again.

Shaking her head, she left her room. Wandering the halls, it continued to baffle her. There was no one. Everyone was gone. No Temple Guards, no Masters, no Knights, no Padawans or Younglings. Even the non-Jedi support staff were missing. Feeling some panic, she began barging into people's quarters.

"Hello?! Hello?!"

It would be the same response she'd give as she checked room after room in different sections of the Temple. The sights would all be the same with no people. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Hardy had something to do with this. Panting heavily after checking so many rooms, she decided to make the Council Chamber her final stop. Taking the elevator up and entering the Chamber, she would continue to be dismayed that none of the Masters were there but she would be confused that there was a clone trooper standing at the center of the room facing away from her.

Approaching the trooper, she recognized the style and the three dashes on the shoulder pad. The trooper also wore no helmet and she could see the distinctive gray streaks in his hair. But she couldn't feel any impressions from him like his mind had been turned off. Reaching out to turn him around, she called out, "Wrench?"

Suddenly, Wrench turned with a blaster pistol in hand and pointed it at her face. She couldn't react quickly enough as Wrench fired point blank.

Seeing a bright blue flash, she reflexively screamed and clutched her face. For a few seconds, she could swear that she felt the hot plasma spreading across her face and essentially taking out her eye. But the pain quickly vanished and she noticed she was lying down on a bed again.

"What the—"

"Well, well, well! That was certainly interesting!" A voice interrupted.

It was one Eila didn't recognize but she quickly had a good idea who it was. '_Damn,_' She thought, '_She's still here._'

Feeling some anger, she shouted out as she got up, "Hardy!"

Surely enough, she was back in her room and Hardy was sitting on a chair at her desk. While the clones had already seen Hardy's original appearance, it was new for her. Despite that, Eila felt like punching the smug look she had on her face, especially since Hardy was casually twirling her lightsaber around her hand.

"_**What the hell was that?**_" Eila seethed.

"Oh, just some tinkering with your Force and your head." Hardy responded and then thought, '_Being able to get a glimpse in time was rather interesting.__ I wonder when that will be?_'

Eila hissed, "_**Don't do that again.**_"

"Hmph. I've been getting that a lot. Still, you're so rigid. You keep resisting."

"Oh, yeah? Well, people usually don't like other people inside their heads."

"Really? And yet, you and your Jedi Order are able to probe people's heads all the time whenever you want."

Eila paused but answered, "That's different. We don't give people nightmares or…" She could feel Hardy trying to dig deeper into her mind, "…dredge up their private thoughts unless there's a good reason."

"Oops! Tried a little too hard there. But still, I see it as the same thing. We're not all that different in that regard. We have powers that can subvert a person's free will. Show their insides, on their outsides." Hardy developed an unsettling grin.

She continued, "Tell me, how many times have you used that mind trick? Very useful in a war isn't it? Convince that one nosy guard he saw nothing, and then you and your men ambush his friends. How about all your other abilities? How many people have you killed using them?"

She noticed Eila frown deeply, "Yes. That's right. Your enemies weren't always those machines, droids as you call them, even before you came here. The armies you've faced on Separatist worlds weren't always comprised of droids."

She paused. "Ahh, there it is. Feeling so bound to duty, to the Republic, and to your Order. That must be a comforting reason for killing those people. And rationalizing it with destroying as many of those robots as possible to make up the difference for not only that but for your Master's mistakes as well is rather adorable."

"You're one to talk about killing people." Eila sneered.

Hardy feigned being insulted, "Well, that's just not true. I haven't killed anyone directly in…oh dear, I don't even remember anymore. The fire dragon, you might think. I only suggested that to Giselle. What someone does with my suggestion isn't my problem."

"Well, if someone's pulling the strings…"

"Yes, yes, yes. Responsibility. Again, I don't really care. But maybe you should take responsibility for some of your things. Your interest in entertainment? Your _other _interest? I'm sure the Jedi Order would like to know of your interests. Just to tear you apart for showing some individuality."

That got on her nerves, "Shut up."

Ignoring her, Hardy continued, "But then again, entertainment is, well…entertaining, even though you haven't had much time lately because of your job. But an interest spurred on because your Order encourages a rather dull life. And your _other_ interest? Well, _he_ does have that distinguished look." She paused in accessing more of Eila's mind, "Haha! Again, the Order! Told to love but not exactly in that way! But I suppose you're not really the first one to go that way."

"Shut up!"

Pausing for a moment, Hardy pointed out, "Ooh! There's that anger. Tut, tut, tut! Not very good for someone like you." She mockingly imitated Yoda's accent, "Anger leads to hate, _remember_?"

"Then get out of my head."

"Nope, not yet. Now that I've gotten a deeper understanding of where you're from, I get why you wouldn't want to leave. I see now that it would've been pointless to convince you. You have your superiors as well, just like the clones, and they will never consider leaving." She began thinking of how to deal with that detail.

She continued, "But it's not just having a relationship with the Empire anymore. No. It's more now. I'm sure you know why." She waited for a response.

Eila decided to humor her, "Because we want to explore the surrounding star systems. Because this place has resources. Because the people of this world, not just the Empire, could benefit from our knowledge."

Hardy clapped her hands with a large smile, "Correct on all points! An Empire needs to stretch its legs! Grow its influence!" It flew over Eila's head that she wasn't referring to the Saderan Empire or simply changing the title of the Republic in jest.

Suddenly, her demeanor quickly shifted to a more serious tone, "But you left something out, Eila. How about those…kyber crystals as you call them. Rather greedy of you and your Order to want them all for yourselves. To take something from me is rather bold. Goddess of the underworld, after all."

Seeing that the standard techniques of trying to block Hardy out weren't working at all and equally concerned that she couldn't read her thoughts back, she decided to say what Hardy already knew from her, "We want to keep them out of some very dangerous hands."

"Ahh, yes. The Sith Lord that's been playing your Order for fools. He started a war and has been nudging all sorts of planets towards chaos. Well, he does have the position in your government."

"Are you saying the Sith Lord is a politician from the Republic?"

At this point, anyone who wasn't privy to insider information within the Jedi Council's meetings who already suspected the Senate and the Chancellor, didn't have much information on who the elusive Sith Lord was. The rank and file Jedi just knew there was one.

"Yes. Having a hand in your Force is rather…invigorating. But just like the Masters in your Order, I can't really see who he is exactly. But I can feel he's surprisingly powerful for a mere mortal." In the back of her mind though, this frightened Hardy a lot. For someone to possess near god-like powers like that was deeply concerning.

"But it seems to me," Hardy continued, "That your precious Jedi Order isn't quite the shining beacon it's supposed to be. It encourages the ideals of peace and freedom but doesn't allow it for its own members by involving them in wars and restricting their own personal freedoms. You're Masters in that Council of yours are likely keeping secrets from everyone else too. And it allows its Jedi like you to violate the sovereignty of worlds if it suits their purposes."

Hardy smugly thought of where she could sign up to join to do all the immoral things its highest members were likely doing behind everyone's back but continued, "But you need not bother."

Still somewhat bewildered by Hardy's critique of the Order, Eila responded, "W—Why not?"

Hardy smiled as she got up having finally reached a decision on how to convince the Republic to leave and finally managing to extend her reach. Walking over to Eila and cupping her face, she said softly, "Well, that Sith Lord is going to be the least of your problems now."

Eila remained bewildered on what she meant by that.

"Oh! By the way, I have a policy of not allowing weapons into my Temple. Most people think it's for my protection"

She leaned in and whispered directly into Eila's ear, "I'm going to show you why they're wrong."

* * *

"Call for a LAAT! Tell the base doctor to prepare for a medical emergency!" Wrench instructed to Fordo after Ramius shook his head for Eila still being unresponsive despite his efforts to revive her.

The rest of RT3 burst through the door. They had been patiently waiting for a signal to enter in the event Hardy decided to be difficult and hearing Wrench yelling for a LAAT was an obvious one. The stewards lording over Wrench and the others reacted to the intruders.

"Here they come." Alloy called as he and the others switched to the stun setting.

The near-human stewards took advantage of their heightened animal reflexes. Some running on all fours and jumping all over the place and others immediately grabbing the furniture with their heightened strength to throw at them. The human stewards simply chose to charge at them grabbing whatever they could as a weapon.

"Protect Hardy!" They cried.

Alloy, Noah, Cabby, and Zipper began dodging the incoming furniture and fired their stuns at the approaching opponents. The human stewards were easy enough to take down but the near-human ones, especially the ones with enhanced speed closed the gap. One managed to jump on top of Cabby but Zipper was quick to cover him with the steward immediately falling unconscious on top of him. Another attempted to jump on Noah but he simply smacked her away with the butt of his blaster and once she fell, he stunned her just to make sure. A lucky human steward who got past the shots brandishing a dining fork attempted to stab Alloy but unluckily for her, Alloy simply stopped her strike with one arm and used his other arm holding the blaster to stun her. However, the next ones to approach them were the ones with the enhanced strength who threw the furniture at them. Zipper quickly fired a stun bolt at one but she only stumbled for a bit and pushed on.

"Arrgh!" Zipper yelled as the steward managed get close and punched him straight in the chest. His clone armor visibly cracked from the strike and he flew against the wall. The three others quickly reacted and fired a flurry of stuns at the steward who finally went down.

Realizing a need for more hands as there were at least five more of these stewards getting close to them, Noah quickly called to Cabby, "The blasters!"

Reacting to his call, Cabby pulled out one of Fordo's blaster pistols and immediately threw it at him. Fordo caught it, switched to stun, and began blasting from behind them. Cabby quickly pulled out two more DC-15 carbines and tossed them at Fick and Hoot. Like Fordo, they also began blasting them from behind. The barrage of stun bolts finally brought down the last of the stewards and the room fell quiet.

Seeing that he couldn't do any more for Eila, Ramius quickly rushed for Zipper. Alloy and Noah stood by Zipper while Ramius examined him.

"It's not so bad." Zipper coughed.

"Oh, yeah? Even though the armor absorbed most of the force, you might have a chest contusion. We have to get you under a scanner."

While Zipper gave a weak nod, Cabby was already handing the confiscated blasters the priests took from the others, which they just stole back. Especially, Fordo who had to remove the extra weapons on him. Once finished, Cabby moved, with Ray's assistance, to start binding the arms and legs of the stewards just in case any of them woke up early.

Fick would move on to assist Hoot as he brought in a stretcher to carry Eila out, while Noah and Ramius assisted Zipper onto a stretcher as well.

"Let's go!" Wrench ordered. "Before anymore uninvited guests come."

"Sir, yes sir!" They called out.

However, before they could all walk out of the room, Fordo noticed Eila's light brunette hair slowly changing to silver.

"Commander." Fordo warned. The entourage stopped as Fick and Hoot put Eila's stretcher down.

Turning to Noah and Ramius, Wrench ordered, "You two! Get Zipper out of here. Meet with the LAAT at the rendezvous point and head back. Have them also pick up the tank and speeders. I don't think we'll be welcome here after. Call for another LAAT to stand by for us." Turning to Tuka and Yao who were helping Lelei along who still had a busted hand, "You guys go with them."

Tuka and Yao gave the impression that they intended to help but Wrench shook his head. If Lelei was any measure of Hardy's abilities, he didn't want more people to get caught up in what was likely going to be a fight. With some reluctance, the trio would follow Noah and Ramius out.

Wrench turned to Rory and the both of them gave a nod on a silent agreement on what to do next. The remaining troopers nervously readied their blasters for a stun fest while Rory gripped her halberd tighter. After a tense minute of waiting for Eila to wake up, the clones looked at each other as Eila continued to remain comatose despite her hair having fully changed to silver. Wrench approached slowly to simply check if there were any more physical changes. His concern would be immediately answered as all of them suddenly got thrown off their feet away from her.

Getting up, 'Eila' began to stretch. Her bones giving minor pops as she made all the motions.

"Ahh," She exhaled, "This! This is refreshing."

She moved to remove the bun her hair was in and shook her head free. Immediately after shaking her head, she would turn to suddenly see Rory, already in the air, halberd in hand, and making the first strike.

From Rory's point of view, she would see for a moment 'Eila' eerily smile at her, call upon the lightsaber with the Force, and activated it to immediately block her attack.

When their weapons locked together, 'Eila' waggled a finger, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. We really shouldn't fight like this, sweetie!"

"_**Get out of her body, NOW! HARDY!**_" Rory bellowed. She had never felt such a rage and intent to hurt Hardy. Although, she was off put by Hardy's eyes which were a mix of the standard red Hardy normally had and yellow.

"Still the temper, I see." Hardy's face changed from a dissonant smile to sudden anger, "You should really…r_emember your place!_"

Extending her free hand, Rory began choking. Her mood quickly switched from angry to patronizing while Rory continued to choke, "Oh, dear. Why do you make me do this? I didn't want to resort to this but you are being just _so_ difficult. I'm doing your job for you in trying to get these people to leave and bring back balance."

Still continuing to gasp for air, Hardy gained a creepy smile and propositioned to her, "Want me to make it a little tighter?"

Rory could only continue to choke.

Luckily, Hardy's hold on Rory would be broken when Fordo came running in and tackled Hardy from the side. Both would tumble to the ground but Fordo quickly positioned himself on top to pin Hardy down immediately. He would attempt to hit her with the stunner built into his gauntlet but unfortunately, his attempt to grapple her on the ground would only work for a little while as Hardy would Force push him off of her. Getting up and brushing herself off, Hardy would see the other clones up with their blasters pointed at her and ready for a fight.

She smirked, readied the lightsaber, and noted, "This seems familiar."

Seeing no other reaction from the clones other than pointed blasters, she declared, "It's treason, then."

Wrench didn't feel up to it. Ignoring Eila's status as a Jedi and his General, he had come to appreciate her friendship over the three long years of the war. They had come to rely on each other quite deeply. But remembering Krell and the effort the 501st and 212th reported to bring down the rogue Jedi, he would be the first to fire at her. Following suit, the men began to fire a frenzy of stun bolts at Hardy. Using Eila's increased dexterity, Hardy quickly dodged the shots and with the ones she couldn't avoid, she immediately blocked them with the lightsaber. Feeling the Force, Hardy began to use it to throw objects at the clones and even destroy the environment in attempts to kill them.

"Watch out! Watch out!" Hoot called as the pillars along the walls were ripped out, began to fall towards them, and unfortunately ended up crushing some of the still unconscious stewards on the floor.

Alloy and Fick would sprint out of the way as parts of the ceiling came falling down due to pillars no longer supporting them.

"Flank her! Go!" Wrench ordered to Fordo, Ray, and Cabby while he dodged high-speed furniture coming at him.

While the firefight continued, Rory regained her composure, quickly saw the situation, and immediately engaged Hardy. Jumping into the fight, she would exchange blows with Hardy and occasionally jump out of the way when the clones attempted to get shots. Rory found Hardy's defense to be impeccable as she was using Eila's own memories of defensive lightsaber combat. But Rory knew that she only needed a moment for Hardy to waiver to stop her. She knew that Hardy and frankly, all the others, called themselves gods but could still commit mistakes. This back and forth exchange would continue for some time with the room becoming more wrecked from the use of the Force and neither side gaining any ground.

Noticing the deteriorating condition of the room, Wrench immediately ordered, "Crap! Grab a steward and head for the balcony!"

On that order, the others noticed that the room was essentially coming down on top of them as Hardy had torn out many of the support pillars. The men and Rory could only grab a single and the closest steward to them as they all ran for the balcony, leaving the many others to their fate. Rory would be the first to jump out with her steward and landed on the ground outside in the forward courtyard of the Temple. Readying their grappling guns first, the clones followed suit by throwing themselves off the balcony as the upper level of the Temple collapsed. Landing on the ground, the clones sprinted away as debris continued to fall with it dropping some debris along the front entrance of the Temple. Reaching Rory's position, the clones dropped their survivors to the side. The collapse of the upper part of the Temple caught the attention of the citizens of Bellnahgo in the night. Crowds began to gather on the perimeter of the courtyard as there were gasps and murmurs if the Temple had been attacked. The worshipers inside the Temple rushed out of alternate exits as they too would gasp at the travesty of the Temple being partially destroyed.

"Are you all alright?" Wrench called. The clones and Rory responded with affirmative nods.

Wrench turned to look back at the destroyed parts of the Temple. He hadn't seen Hardy get out. He felt an unsettling mix of emotions as he wasn't quite sure if Eila has just been killed. Although, he would look at the ruined remains of the balcony they threw themselves off of and see some of the debris begin to move. In a mix of frustration and relief, he would see Eila's possessed body, lifting debris out of her way and looking rather proud standing on the remains of the balcony.

The onlookers began mumbling on who was on the balcony but once they saw that person glide to ground without showing any magical runes or sprouting wings, they quickly assumed it was Hardy. Many of the more fervent worshipers immediately began prostrating themselves.

Hardy took notice to the adoring crowd as she approached Rory and the clones, "Yes. Good, obedient dogs." She redirected her attention to them, "As you should as well. Dear Rory, I'm your god. And you clones, well, I'm your General. You have to follow me now."

"You're not my god!" Rory immediately protested. Although, Alloy, Cabby, Fick, Hoot, and Ray looked rather nervous at Hardy's declaration while Fordo and Wrench didn't react.

"Sir…" Fordo started.

Wrench merely raised his hand and quickly ordered, "Stun her."

While Wrench and Fordo immediately raised their blasters and fired, the others would follow after some hesitation. The stun shots curiously hit Hardy this time as she made no effort to dodge or block their shots.

Although, it wouldn't be curious at all as Hardy stumbled over the barrage of shots and was about to tip over but then she straightened out and chuckled, "Hehehe. That tickled. Want to try again?"

Fordo upped the stakes by firing the grappling hook from his gauntlet and sending a charge. Fordo's personal stunner was rated to take down large beasts and it had already brought down a Jedi before. But much like with Durge on Muunilinst, Hardy shrugged it off.

"Hmm. That was better but, the purpose is to put someone to sleep, not wake them up, no?" Hardy mocked as she flicked the grappling hook off her and then reached out with her hand and clasped it into a fist.

"Gahhh!" Fordo cried out as his gauntlet was immediately crushed along with his forearm.

"Captain!" The others shouted but Fordo waved them off as he tried to tank the pain.

Seeing Rory's increased agitation from Hardy's little spectacle and feeling from the others that the stun setting was obviously inadequate, Wrench saw no other choices and was dreading to resort to the only one he hadn't done yet. But then he wondered about something and hoped it wasn't what he was grimly thinking.

"Hardy," He started.

"Hmm?"

"What are you waiting for? You can clearly use the Force. Why not just yank the weapons out of our hands and be done with it? Just do what you did with the Captain."

Hardy internally admitted that Eila was definitely fighting for control in not using the Force more brazenly than intended ever since her choking demonstration on Rory, but Hardy didn't really mind her struggling for control. It was all entertaining. Holding up the lightsaber in a guard stance and activating it, Hardy declared her intention on simply not taking the easy way out of the fight. The clones would visibly tense up at her answer and Rory would notice the same creepy smile Hardy gave when she moved to attack her first.

"_I want to savor this_."

Confirming his suspicion, Wrench reluctantly ordered to the others, "Set to—Set to kill."

Fordo and the others would look towards Wrench wondering if he was serious but decided to follow as Hardy's ability to shrug off stuns is a definite problem. Rory also wondered on Wrench's seriousness but resolved that she would cut Hardy out of Eila if she had to. She had an idea of how dangerous Eila could be in a fight and knew that with Hardy in her, it would be a problematic combination.

In his own thoughts, Wrench was grimly taking full responsibility of what they were about to do. He agreed with Eila when Hardy was in control of Lelei. They wouldn't want to leave Hardy where she was and make a person her own personal meat puppet.

Smiling widely as the clones flicked the setting on their blasters, she would be approached first by Rory who immediately dashed right at her to take a swing. Hardy jumped up and landed on the flat side of the halberd.

"Well, dear Rory. Let's see if you can do what must be done."

Rory didn't respond and merely jerked her halberd to get Hardy off it.

Jumping away, Hardy would be met with lethal blaster fire from the clones attempting to surround her. Reacting quickly, she dodged or parried the shots. The acrobatics she was pulling frustrated the clones.

Unfortunately, the re-ignition of hostilities caused a mix of reactions from the spectating crowds. While some fled from the sharp and loud noises blasters made and others began praying for Hardy's swift victory, there were spectators who immediately began to yell all sorts of things towards the clones and even Rory for attacking their god.

"Godless heathens!"

"Traitor! The Apostle of Emroy is a traitor to the gods!"

"Apostle Rory! What are you doing?! This is sacrilege!"

"Heretics! Heretics the lot of them!"

"Get them!"

A good number of the spectators immediately began rushing towards the fight, feeling an obligation to protect their god even though their god wasn't struggling as badly as they thought against Rory and the clones. Seeing the approaching mob, the clones had to divide their attention. Unable to switch to the stun setting due to the hectic battle taking place, the clones gunned down the approaching attackers. Rory would continue to engage Hardy but she took advantage of the divided attention of the clones. The attacking crowd had managed to get the clones to isolate themselves into their own firefights.

"Damn!" Rory called out as Hardy sprinted away from her.

As Cabby finished off an attacker, he would catch a glimpse of Hardy immediately at his side. She proceeded to cut both of Cabby's arms and then maneuvered herself to cut across his torso, nearly bisecting him.

"**CABBY!**" Fick shouted as Hardy casually passed by and let Cabby's corpse hit the floor.

For a moment, the clones were stunned, but their shock quickly turned to anger and they began to fire with greater ferocity. Fordo cursed that he could only use one arm to fight and the pain from his other arm continued to be a distraction which was affecting his aim. Wrench would stop firing as his nightmare horrifically came true. She was going to kill them all and if they wished to survive, Hardy intended for them to kill Eila for it.

"Commander! Commander!" Fordo came next to him and shook him with his good arm, "We have no choice! We have to end this!" Trying to shake off his hesitation, Wrench resumed firing but continued to intentionally take shots meant to injure her. He still clinged onto hope that Eila might be able to take back control.

But his hope was quickly diminishing as Hardy continued to sprint away from Rory and focused on them. Trying to keep the attacking spectators away from them as well, Hardy persisted in taking advantage of the divided battle.

Distracted by an approaching Hardy, Alloy attempted to shoot her but a few spectators immediately rushed him from behind. Brought down to the ground and pinned by his attackers, Alloy pleaded as Hardy closed in with a sadistic smile.

"General! General! Fight this! Please stop her! You can—"

His pleas would be cut short as Hardy casually lopped off his head. While Hardy courteously commended the people who assisted in her kill, the attackers immediately ate blaster shots to their faces as Fordo, Fick, Ray, and Hoot had managed to regroup and concentrated their fire on her. Blocking their blaster fire, Hardy threw the saber at them in retaliation.

"Look out!" Fick shouted and he and the others managed to jump out of the way but unfortunately, Ray couldn't get away quickly enough and took the flying lightsaber into his face.

"_Oh, __**Ray!**_" Hoot wailed as he watched his brother collapse. Hoot turned back to angrily continue shooting for some revenge but unfortunately forgot that there was still a lightsaber in his midst. With careful manipulation of the Force, the lightsaber that was embedded in Ray's head dislodged and doubled back by flying right into Hoot's back and severing his spine.

"Shit!" Fick shouted.

Rory was enraged beyond belief. Watching Hardy attack her friends was sending her into a blind rage as she increased her speed to stop Hardy from continuing. Seeing Hardy casually smiling to the carnage she was creating ticked Rory off. As Hardy recalled the lightsaber from Hoot's corpse back into her hand, Rory attempted to slam her halberd at her, but Hardy dodged the strike again.

But this time, Hardy's didn't react quickly enough for the follow up.

After dodging Rory's strike, Hardy would immediately be shot in the back as Wrench had managed to maneuver behind her. Hardy continued to smile as Fordo and Fick had regained their composure and took their shots, nicking her shoulder, leg, and one to the torso. Hardy attempted to continue the fight despite the wounds but Rory would deliver the final blow as she stabbed Hardy in her gut with the pointed end of her halberd. While Fordo and Fick would return to shooting the attacking spectators, Hardy began to laugh in between coughs of blood.

Rory and Wrench listened to her, "Looks like my faith in you wasn't misplaced, dear Rory! You'll—You'll do what must be done to bring back balance. And you," She turned to Wrench, "This—This is my resolve to get you out. Talk to your leaders. Convince them to leave this place if they wish for no more deaths. Especial—Especially, hers."

Hardy's essence left Eila's body, which returned into the Temple and suddenly, the smile she had earlier was replaced with Eila's shock and fear. Quickly removing her halberd, Rory focused on stemming the bleeding as she and Wrench laid Eila down onto the ground. Rory grimaced figuring that Hardy would pull this once the jig was up. Wrench hurriedly applied extra pressure over Rory's hands. Although, the initial shock from Eila's face had changed to relief but her eyes were remorseful.

"W—Wrench. Ro—Rory. I'm sorry. I'm—I'm sorry. I didn't—I didn't fight her hard enough."

"It's—It's okay. It's okay." Wrench shakily said. "Ro—Rory, please…"

He removed his hands and let Rory take the responsibility of slowing the bleeding in her gut as he called for the LAAT. The remaining attackers began to flee as they saw their god leave and Fordo and Fick had managed to hold the line. Eila attempted to say something more but Rory shook her head. Acknowledging her head shake, Eila obliged by relaxing while a LAAT passed by to land in the courtyard.

* * *

_Author's Note_: Happy Holidays!


End file.
